The Nigerian Army in its responsibility of
promoting national cohesion and security, the Nigerian Army Department of
Civil-Military Affairs has engaged social media influencers, bloggers, and
other online users to use social media platforms to foster national security
and combat fake news.
The 36th Social Media Seminar, themed
"Harnessing Social Media for National Security and Development" was
held at Paragon Sports and Event Centre Gidan Dawa, Katsina on September 5th,
2024.
The Chief of Civil-Military Affairs, Major General
Nosakhare Ugbo, in his opening remarks, reiterated that “The seminar was aimed
at addressing the intricacies of social media in a volatile security
environment.”
Major General Ugbo emphasized the need for youths
to use social media platforms to foster national security and combat fake news.
He then expressed gratitude to the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General
Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja for his unwavering support in making the event a success.
The Special Guest of Honour, Major General Lukman
Omoniyi, highlighted the critical role of the Nigerian youths in fostering
national security. He urged participants to avoid spreading harmful or
deceptive content that could undermine social harmony and stability which he
said are usually with severe consequences.
Major General Omoniyi encouraged participants to
utilize the positive effects of the social media platforms to support the
Nigerian Army's non-kinetic operations and by extension, enhance community
inclusion.
Other resource persons who delivered lectures at
the event, include; Dr Ehiz Odigie and Dr Ibrahim Hamza who spoke on leveraging
the use of social media for enhanced national development, and understanding
the criticality of social media for the promotion of national security.
The event which was considered a big success by the Nigerian Army, drew its highlights from well-structured interactive sessions which featured a dialogue among military personnel, security agencies, and other participants.