Stakeholders call for women’s inclusion in fight against insecurity

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, has decried the menace of misinformation, disinformation and hostile narratives surrounding military operations, insisting that these digital vices undermine public confidence.

Air Marshal Aneke made the condemnation yesterday while declaring open the 2026 Directorate of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI) Annual Media Workshop and Meeting with information officers at the Headquarters of the Nigerian Air Force, Abuja.

The CAS, who was represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans (COPP), Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Yaro Abdullahi, said: “Today’s information environment is increasingly complex, dynamic and highly contested. News travels at unprecedented speed, while misinformation, disinformation and hostile narratives continue to challenge military operations and public confidence.

“In such an environment, effective public communication is no longer merely supportive; it is an operational necessity that contributes directly to mission success.

“As information officers, you represent the voice and image of the Nigerian Air Force. Your responsibilities extend beyond issuing press releases and organising media engagements. You are strategic communicators entrusted with shaping public understanding of our operations, projecting the professionalism of our personnel, preserving institutional credibility and strengthening public trust in the service. Every communication, every engagement and every response to a crisis must therefore reflect accuracy, professionalism, integrity and timeliness.”

The special guest of honour said the service must remain proactive in communicating its activities with credibility, transparency and strategic intent while confronting evolving security challenges.

In a paper titled: ‘Building and Maintaining Strategic Media Relationships: Best Practices for NAF Public Relations and Information Officers’, the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VOA), Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, said the Nigerian Air Force operates in an increasingly complex security environment where narratives can be weapons and information vacuums can become strategic vulnerabilities.

Meanwhile, stakeholders at the ITeach Africa Initiative Summit 2026 have emphasised the need to involve women in decision-making on national security issues to strengthen early warning mechanisms and effective response.

The stakeholders who spoke differently at the summit held yesterday in Abuja at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the theme ‘Advancing Women’s Leadership and Inclusive Governance and Security,’ stressed that a nation is safest when its people feel they have a stake in its peace, become a voice in its future and play a role to ensure its survival.

Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd), in his remarks, highlighted the need to advance women’s inclusion in governance to enhance nation-building. The minister, who was represented by the Gender Adviser in the ministry, Lt.-Col. Nneka Olimma, lauded the programme initiative, saying women needed to play a key role in tackling security challenges.

According to him, terrorism, banditry, violent extremism, kidnapping, and cybercrime, among others, require a holistic approach to ensure a lasting solution.