By Leonard Okachie
The Commander, 14 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Ohafia, Brig.-Gen. Ahmad Dikko, has charged journalists to report any soldier who accompanies celebrities and politicians unprofessionally or engages in illegal activities.
He said this during the familiarisation visit by members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abia council, on Tuesday at the command headquarters, Goodluck Ebere Jonathan Barracks, Ohafia.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dikko assumed office as the 18th Commander of the brigade on Feb. 2.
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Dikko urged journalists to always reach out to the command if they see anything going wrong.
He said : “So if you see a soldier performing illegal duty, if you see a soldier following a celebrity around, carrying his bag, tell us. I’m serious.
“We will immediately do something about it.I promise you that.
“Help us to help society, help us to help the people, help us to help the nation.”
The commander admitted that there was no perfect organisation, but pointed out that the army could only improve if it received positive feedback.
“So we welcome criticism, we welcome critique, we welcome tip-offs, information that maybe, the larger society is not aware of,” he said.
Dikko, who emphasised the importance of the media in the society, called for its continued collaboration with the military to safeguard the society.
He described the media as the “only channel through which the public sees the army”, saying “you are our connection, our umbilical cord with the rest of the society.”
He continued: “We must have you on our side if we are going to succeed.
“Security challenges are found everywhere in the world.
“So we cannot overestimate the importance of having the correct type of relations with the media.”
Earlier, the Chairman of NUJ, Mr Chidi Asonye, represented by Mr Felix Obani, Chairman of Unity Federated Chapel, lauded the command for its cordial relationship with other security agencies in ensuring a safe Abia.
He reiterated the council’s commitment to collaborate with the command to ensure dissemination of accurate information concerning the activities of the army to the public.(NAN)
