From LAYI OLANREWAJU, Ilorin
Social media Influencers, bloggers and the media have been tasked to watch and play their role as patriotic Nigerians before they push reports on their platforms in order to enhance national security.
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 yesterday in Ilorin.
Alabi said that the Nigerian Army recognized the importance of bloggers and influencers of social media as credible partners in shaping the narrative towards enhancing national security.
According to him, this underlines the constant effort of the Nigerian Army in organising a programme like this to interact with all stakeholders.
The theme of the seminar is “Emerging Trend on Social Media: Impacts on National Security”.
He added that the seminar is indeed timely and apt in the face of a volatile, unpredictable, dynamic and fluid environment.
He urged 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 group uses 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.
For his Part, the Chief of Military Affairs (Army), Maj. Gen. NC Ugbo said the seminar is a continuous event held in selected towns across the country to enable the Nigeria Army to interact with social media influencers, bloggers, media practitioners and the general public on how best social media could be used to enhance national security.
” The platform provided by the social media seminar has allowed the Nigerian Army 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 urged the participants to listening attentively to achieve the aim and objective of the seminar.