Maroc - SPYETV.COM.NG - A La Une - 14/Aug 22:01

Promoting Peace and Development: NCTC-ONSA Meet Media Executives to Boost Counter-Terrorism Efforts

As part of its efforts to promote the publication of development and conflict-sensitive contents to especially boost the war against terrorism and organised crimes so as to promote peace and sustainable development, the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has on Wednesday, 14th August 2024 organised a meeting with Media Executives/Senior News Editors in Abuja.Speaking at the meeting, the Coordinator, Nigerian National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) Major General Adamu Garba Laka, said the issues of National Security have both military and non-military dimensions. He said, it incorporates the military, border, geostrategic, demographic, cyber, resource, information and many areas relating to socioeconomic matters. Major General Garba Laka noted that the National Security is all-encompassing and requires a Whole-of-Society Approach. Therefore, security matters are not only confined to the military, police, intelligence and other law enforcement agencies as many people assume. He explained that this is the more reason the centre engage kinetic, non-kinetic and other generally accepted means in the efforts to resolving the security challenges confronting the Country.He emphasized that the NCTC is engaging Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society Approaches in order to drive home the significance of the contributions of every stratum of the Nigerian economy in the fight against the enemies of the Nigerian State. Speaking further, Major General Adamu Garba Laka revealed that the meeting with Media Executives/Senior News Editors is to enable paticipants draw from their wealth of knowledge and experience with the hope to spark a conversation that will set tangible agenda for the Government, political leaders and policymakers, and also offer guides for informed decision-making, national planning and implementation of laudable projects and programmes for national reconstruction and attainment of sustainable development.He said the NCTC sees the media as critical partners in the fight against terrorism and other violent crimes, and for us to be on the same page, the Centre, in collaboration with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) in June this year conducted a 2-day training on Conflict-Sensitive Reporting. The Guest Speaker, Prof. Emman Shehu presented a paper titled "Understanding Public Information Dissemination Platforms and Strategies for Effective Use in Countering Extremist Ideologies/Narratives".The Special Adviser Strategic Communication, Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, Barr. Zakari Mijinyawa described the media personnel as shapers of public perception, advised against sensationalising reports to the point of creating fears in society and glorying acts of terrorism, urging them to summon the courage to always report with integrity.A former Army spokesperson 2009 to 2011, Retired Major Gen. Chris Olukolade, former Spokesperson and former Director, Defence Information from 2013 to 2015, from the Centre for Crisis Communication in his remarks said the media plays a crucial role in combating Terrorism, and such need to be professionally objective in their reportage for effective fight against terrorism.“We have seen where Counter-Terrorism event was reported and the story came out the other way,” he said, encouraging NCTC to ensure that stakeholders engage such as being held hold from time to time.Also, the Director General (DG) of the Nigerian National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu declared that given their widespread structure across the country down to the 774 local government areas (LGA), they were poised to be an integral part of the war against terror and willing to collaborate with all other stakeholders to overcome the menace of terrorism.Represented by Mr Paul Odenyi from the office, the DG who cautioned sternly against the misinformation and disinformation of the public by the social media, said they had employed about 32,000 officers across the country on fact-checking as regards social media information.This is even as he admonished that people have to be carried along in terms of sensitisation and awareness through the likes of social media channel that have become so popular with youths nowadays who are seen not to be interested in reading long literatures.According to him, at NOA, they believe non-kinetic approach holds about 60 per cent of the potential in the war against terrorism, which is the method they actually promote.The Director General, National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, BOT Chairman, Centre for Crisis Communication, Major General Chris Olukolade (rtd), SA Strategic Communication of ONSA, Directors, Heads of Directorates and Departments of the NCTC, Directors and Editors of various Media Houses here present;www.twitter.com/spyetv