Newsone reports that the Nigerian military has urged media organisations in Nigeria to always project the West African country in good light as being done by their counterparts in other societies in the general interest of the nation.
This online news platform understands that the military argued that the way Nigerian media portrays Nigeria often contributes to shaping how the country and its citizens are perceived by the international community, including foreign investors.
Newsone Nigeria reports that the appeal was made by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brigadier General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr, while speaking in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital over the weekend at the Third Security and Emergency Management Awards/First Spokespersons Communication Awards, organised by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPL).
The Director of Defence Information said: “For example, you have the CNN projecting the image of the Americans; you have the BBC projecting the image of the United Kingdom; you have the Voice of America projecting the image of America.
“Here, in Nigeria, those who are working in the media must project the image of Nigeria positively, because it is the way you project your country that others will take it,” Sawyerr, who was also an awardee, said.
He commended those behind the initiative and expressed the hope that they too would one day be recognised for the good works they are doing.
Malam Yushau Shuaib, the head of IMPL, said the initiative was intended to recognise those who are risking their lives to ensure that the country was safe to inhabit.
The head of IMPL appealed to Nigerians to always give maximum support to security agencies by volunteering information that will diligently aid them in the discharge of their duties of ensuring peace for the nation.