Army tasks bloggers to use social media to enhance national security

The Nigerian Army, on Wednesday, called on social media influencers and bloggers to play their roles actively to enhance national security.

The General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Bamidele Alabi, made the call at the 31st edition of the Social Media Influencers Seminar on Wednesday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

According to Alabi, the Nigerian Army recognised the importance of bloggers and influencers of social media as credible partners in shaping the narrative towards enhancing national security.

He said this underlines the constant efforts of the Nigerian Army in organizing programmes like this to interact with all stakeholders.

The theme of the seminar was: ‘Emerging trend on Social Media: Impacts on national security.’

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He added that the seminar was indeed timely and apt in the face of volatile, unpredictable, dynamic and fluid environment, urging social media influencers and bloggers to use their platforms for peaceful coexistence in Nigeria.

“The social media platform has reengineered social interaction among peers, businesses, governments and so on.

“Social media platforms are used in advancing social and national insecurity, such as the situation in the northern and southeastern parts of Nigeria.

”Some groups use online media to propagate their agenda, and the general public also uses social media platforms to escalate this propaganda, which sometimes is fake news,” he added.

Also speaking at the event, the Chief of Military Affairs of the Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. NC Ugbo, said the seminar was a continuous event in selected towns across the country to enable the Nigerian Army to interact with social media influencers, bloggers, media practitioners and the general public.

Such interactions, according to him, are on how best social media can be used to enhance national security.

”The platform provided by the social media seminar has afforded the Nigerian Army the opportunity to interact with influencers of the social and cyberspace on how to responsibly use the various assets to foster security and peaceful coexistence,” he said.

He also urged the participants to listen attentively, to achieve the aim and objective of the seminar.

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