Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, says the concepts of nationalism and patriotism must be imbibed by citizens for Nigeria to be prosperous.
Idris spoke on Friday when he received Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff (CDS), at his office in Abuja.
“When we have issues of insurgency and banditry, it gives the country a bad image, and if not nipped in the bud, then there will be a problem,” Rabiu Ibrahim, media aide to the minister, quoted his principal as saying.
“The concept of nationalism, nationhood, and patriotism must return, for us to have the unity and prosperity that all of us seek.
“We have seen a gradual erosion of our values – those values need to be reclaimed and we have to recover our senses as Nigerians.
“We need to go back to the drawing board and see where we got it wrong with the aim of getting it right this time around.
“I thank you so much for coming. We think that the collaboration that you require is for all of us to come together so that we fight insurgency and forge unity, development, and peace in this country.
“There is no way you can successfully fight this war without a frontal role for the Nigerian media and Nigerians themselves.”
Idris said the ministry will soon launch a campaign of national rebirth as a deliberate effort to instil a renewed sense of patriotism among the citizens.
On his part, the chief of defence staff said it is important to have “synergy” between the military and the public.
He added that the “armed forces and these criminals are fighting to have citizens on their side. This is part of the lines of operations that we are conducting to build synergy between the armed forces and members of the public and there is nowhere to start better than where information emanates from,” the CDS said.
He added that strategic communication is a key component in the war against terror.