Military urges media to portray Nigeria in good light for the sake of Nigerians.
The Nigerian military has urged the nation’s media organisations to always project the country in good light as being done by their counterparts in other societies in the general interest and good of all Nigerians.
It argued that the way local media portrays the country often contributes to shaping how the country and her citizens are perceived by the international community, including foreign investors.
The Director, Defence Information (DDI) Brigadier General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr made the appeal while speaking in Abuja on Saturday evening at the Third Security and Emergency Management Awards/First Spokespersons Communication Awards, organised by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPL).
“For example, you have the CNN projecting the image of the Americans; you have the BBC projecting the image of the United Kingdom; you have the Voice of America projecting the image of America.
“Here, in Nigeria, those who are working in the media must project the image of Nigeria positively, because it is the way you project your country that others will take it,” Sawyerr, who was also an awardee, said.
He commended those behind the initiative and expressed the hope that they too would one day be recognised for the good works they are doing.
The head of IMPL, Malam Yushau Shuaib said the initiative was intended to recognise those who are risking their lives to ensure that the country was save to inhabit.
“This is the third edition of Security and Emergency Management Awards, and the inaugural edition of Spokespersons Communication Awards.
“It is a fact that our country is having security challenges from terrorism to kidnappings, separatists’s agitations, armed Banditry, cattle rustling, farmer-herdsmen clashes, pipelines vandalism, armed robbery, rape, drug addiction, human trafficking, ritual killings Cybercrime and internet fraud.
“It is also an undeniable fact that we have issues on sectarian tensions, inter and intral communal and political tensions and ethno-religious conflicts,
“It is also buffeted periodically by such natural disasters such as floods, building collapses, traffic road crashes, wild fire, erosion menace, desertification, disease outbreaks and draught among others.
“In all these, there are patriotic Nigerians risking their lives daily to bring the challenges under control for their fellow Nigerians and Nigeria itself to be at peace.
“We have therefore, taken it upon ourselves to honour deserving security personnel, who are doing all they can to protect us all. What we do is to identify those who have displayed diligence and gallantry in the course of their duties and decide to honour them for their efforts.
“This is our little way of appreciating them and motivating them to continue to put in their best,” Shuaib said.
He appealed to Nigerians to always give maximum support to security agencies by volunteering information that will dilligently aid them in the discharge of their duties of ensuring peace for the nation.
Shuaib expressed hope that next year’s edition would be an improvement on this.