‘Why journalists should be embedded in planning of military operations’

The Director General, Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC), Maj. Gen. Garba Wahab (rtd), has said that there is a need to have journalists embedded by the military in planning and execution of its operations.

Wahab gave the advice at a one-day seminar organised by defence correspondents in Abuja.

The theme of the seminar is ‘Civil Military Relations: Non-kinetic Efforts Of The Nigerian Military In Security Management, Challenges and Prospects.’

He said that embedding journalists in the planning and conduct of operations would help in checking negative reports on activities of security agencies.

Wahab said that the seminar was a platform for the military to engrave its friendship with the media and bridge the existing divides between them.

He challenged media practitioners to be patriotic in the performance of their duties, avoiding reports that would be detrimental to national interest and security.

Wahab expressed concern that some media organisations, opposed to the government, could not draw a line between politics and national security.

He said: “Today in Nigeria, turn on your TV, look at some channels and you can easily decipher that this particular channel is against the government.

“And so, they go to any length in saying anything that is detrimental to national security and national interest.

“I am not asking you to cover up what is wrong, but there are ways by which these are done elsewhere.”