How social media can be effectively used to enhance better civil-military relationship that will in the long run engineer lasting societal peace and curb growing insecurity has been made known by Major-General U. S. Mohammed.
Maj. Gen. Mohammed, who is the Chief of Civil Military Affairs at Army headquarters, said through a well-planned, strategic and frequent update about efforts of troops in fighting the insurgents and other criminal elements, the general public will be enlightened about the combat strides of the Army, and particularly the military.
Hence, the public will then learn to relate well with the Army, assist in providing credible information about criminals dwelling in their communities to the Army, and actively participate in the intricate process of ensuring national peace.
He added that the social media, been a vibrant toll for global dissemination of information, must be properly utilized by social media influencers, bloggers and online news media sites, to educate and inform Nigerians about they can mutually can assist, and partner the Army in a bid to tackle violent crimes, and engender peace, unity and national development.
“It is high time the Army itself, bloggers and online media platforms, maximally deploy the social media in order to tackle crimes, and insecurity in general.
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“The social media space is a very portent tool we can use to forge good human relation between civilian and the Army. We must not use the social media space to share messages or information that will incite violent confrontation between groups and the Army.
“It is pertinent also that our posts on social media platforms should help build bridges of understanding, trust and mutual partnership between other Nigerians and the Army. They should not be what will create a wedge between the Army and the general”, he emphasized.
Maj. Gen. Mohammed, spoke at an ongoing social media seminar organized for the South East geo-political zone, at the Villa Garden Hotel Owerri, in Imo State.
The two-day event, which commenced yesterday will end on Tuesday, June 11, is themed: “The role of Social Media in Civil Military Relations as a Non-Kinetic Tool for Enhanced Peace and Security in Nigeria.”
The auspicious seminar is aimed at creating a synergy between the media/online bloggers and influencers to report accurate information about the Army, and its activities, while enlightening them on the implications of spreading negative information about the military.
The Director Information Management, Department of Civil-Military Affairs, Brigadier-General B. A. Tsoho, and personnel from the Army Public Relations Department from 34 Brigade Obinze, graced the seminar alongside selected journalists from some online and print media organisations.
Staff and students of the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, also attended the special event.
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