Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has assured that the Federal Government would continue to give priority attention to the operational requirements and welfare of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Osinbajo made the remark during the Passing out Parade of 187 Direct Short Service Course 28 at the Military Training Centre (MTC), Nigerian Air Force Base Kaduna on Wednesday.
The Vice President, who was the Reviewing officer, appreciated the armed forces for effectively containing the territorial ambitions of the Boko Haram terrorists, by substantially degrading their capacity to attack and wreak havoc.
He assured Nigerians that the threats of ISWAP, bandits and other criminals would be effectively contained to secure the country.
Osinbajo said that the military should deploy effective propaganda to diminish the efforts of insurgents who now use the social media to dish out falsehood to shore up their
“There is also the threat of the Islamic State of West Africa Province ISWAP in the Lake Chad Islands and part of Southern Borno.
” Also, more often these days, these insurgents are focusing on soft targets, opportunistic attacks on isolated military units, as well as on increasingly sophisticated propaganda aimed at making them out to be more organized and lethal than they really are.
“This ever-increasing reliance on propaganda is a reminder that this is not only a ‘battleground’ war; it is just as much an information-and-narrative war.
“Winning hearts and minds has always been important in military warfare; it is even more so in a century defined by information and communication technologies.
“As 21st century military officers, how you project your strength and confidence to your enemies and the world, especially using social and digital media tools, is as important as the sophistication of the conventional arms and ammunition that you wield.
“But to do so effectively also means that you must take the time and trouble to fully understand the nature of the threats that confront us, the narratives and philosophies that underlie those threats.”
