Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (Rtd.), has warned that the military could lose battles if it fails to provide timely and credible information to the public.
He stressed that effective communication had become a critical component of modern warfare, urging the military to take control of the information space to counter terrorist propaganda and misinformation.
Buratai spoke in Abuja when he hosted the Conference and Award Committee of the Defence Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (DECAN).
‘In modern defence and security, if you don’t protect yourself, if you don’t get your information out as timely as possible, then be rest assured that even your battle will be lost,’ Buratai said.
‘Your strategy will be ineffective, which by implication, your operational execution will also be affected,’ he added.
He said timely dissemination of credible information was essential to the success of military strategies and operations, noting that terrorists and insurgents had continued to exploit the media and information space to propagate their ideology and demoralise troops and civilians.
‘The terrorists, the insurgents, use the media, use information very strongly to propagate their ideas, to demoralise the citizens and even demoralise the military,’ Buratai said.
The former Army Chief described defence journalism as a critical component of national security, saying journalists had an important role to play in communicating the challenges, prospects and achievements of the defence sector.
‘The importance of journalism, especially defence journalism, is that it is a very important tool in disseminating the challenges and, of course, even the prospects, the achievements of the defence sector,’ he said.
Buratai recalled that, as Army Chief, he deliberately opened up military operations to journalists by allowing defence correspondents to accompany troops to the battlefield as part of efforts to counter terrorist propaganda.
‘The best way to counter it, as we did, was to carry the press along and they report right on the scene,’ he said.
He said the policy helped to break what he described as the ‘jinx’ of not allowing journalists to report military operations while they were ongoing.
Buratai recalled an operation during which his convoy came under attack while troops were advancing towards Gamboru Ngala in Borno State.
‘As we started moving, they (terrorists) ambushed the convoy, the leading convoy and unfortunately they killed one soldier, injured one general and then injured another soldier,’ he said.
According to him, the troops nevertheless continued their advance, eventually capturing terrorists and linking up with troops that had already advanced towards the area.
Buratai said the presence of journalists during the operation ensured that the military’s account of events was reported promptly, preventing Boko Haram from controlling the narrative.
‘And those issues were reported live and we now broke the Boko Haram information and media propaganda, and so they could no longer have the monopoly to tell lies or to spread rumour,’ he said.
He said the experience demonstrated the strategic value of journalists embedded with troops during military operations.
‘That was a very important role of the journalists that we saw, we appreciate you,’ Buratai said.
The former Army Chief commended DECAN for its contribution to defence journalism and its efforts to promote a stronger relationship between the military and the media.
He urged journalists, particularly defence correspondents, to uphold professionalism while providing the public with accurate information on national security issues.
Buratai also called for greater confidence in the journalism profession and urged journalists to pay greater attention to defence and security reporting, stressing that the media had an important role to play in shaping public understanding of military operations and national security challenges.
He confirmed his readiness to attend the forthcoming DECAN conference, where he is expected to deliver the keynote address.
The conference, themed ‘Beyond Kinetic Warfare: Harnessing Technology and Intelligence-Led Operations for Nigeria’s National Security,’ is expected to focus on emerging technologies, intelligence-led operations and evolving approaches to national security.