Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff (CDS), says globalisation, international antagonism and social media, are hampering the fight against insecurity in Nigeria.
Musa spoke on Monday in Abuja at the opening of the 6th edition of the Nigerian security expo (NISECEXPO), themed: “Home Land Security – Africa’23″.
Musa, represented by Emeka Onumajuru, chief of defence training and operations, dwelt on Africa’s defence force participation in peace missions.
The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Musa said some people are of the opinion that the capabilities of the Nigerian army have declined since ECOMOG.
He, however, said the armed forces have received improved training and acquired better and more sophisticated equipment to deal with insecurity.
“I will use this opportunity to respond to the issues on why the armed forces is slow in achieving the same speed recorded during ECOMOG era to restore normalcy in Nigeria,” he said.
“Many security analysts have attributed the development to the meddling of politicians in the affairs of the military.
“Others are of the opinion that the capabilities of the Nigerian military have declined since ECOMOG operations.
“I want to state that presently, the armed forces have acquired better and much more sophisticated equipment and also, received improved training, compared to the ECOMOG days.”
‘EVERY MILITARY ACTION SCRUTINISED ON SOCIAL MEDIA’
He said the peculiarities surrounding the operations of the military in its efforts to restore peace and security in Nigeria, were not the same as what obtained during the ECOMOG era.
Musa said every action of the military is currently under scrutiny in the social media space.
He said these actions are often available to the public, including insurgents.
“Consequently, members of civil society organisations and other activist groups levy unfounded allegations against the troops that serve as huge distractions,” he said.
“The consequences are that the troops are more careful in dealing with the insurgents.
“Some of the insurgents could form various right groups or become activists or social media influencers while they carry out activities against the Nigeria military. This was not the case during the ECOMOG operation period.”
The CDS further said hostile media is another challenge being faced by the military, which he said was not the case during the ECOMOG era.
He said the advent of social media, without monitoring and regulation of bloggers and social media influencers, has affected the response of the Nigerian military to security threats.