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Defence Headquarters (DHQ) and the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) have commenced collaboration to engage the Nigerian movie industry to tell the story of Nigerian military in correct perspectives through movies.
Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, disclosed this at an interactive meeting between stakeholders in the Nigerian Film Industry and Defence Department of Civil Military Cooperation, on Thursday in Abuja.
Olonisakin, who was represented by the Defence Chief of Civil-Military Cooperation, Rear Adm. O.H Ngalabak, said that the relationship between the defence and Nigerian film industry started about 40 years.
He said that DHQ realised that there was need to change the narratives about the story of Nigerian military being told in Nigerian movies.
Olonisakin said that the experience of American military during their operation in Somalia, made them to collaborate with Hollywood to retell their story.
He said that there was a need for the military to have the kind of collaboration between the American army and the Hollywood.
“You always here that somebody was being killed in Maiduguri or that a soldier died but we need to pass the explanation across.
“It is the film makers that can do that and that is the reason for the collaboration,” he said.
Managing Director, Nigerian Film Corporation, Dr Chidia Maduekwe, said the objective of the meeting was to put in place necessary procedures to project the armed forces in proper perspective through film makers.
Maduekwe said that the DHQ was as concerned as many Nigerians on the occasional appearances and portrayal of its personnel in some Nigerian films.
He said that such images sometimes tend to fall short of national aspirations of many proud Nigerians.
“We are indeed a great nation that has contributed so much to internal, regional, global peace and security.”
