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The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Farouk Yahaya, has identified dearth of infrastructure, economic and social collapse as some of the reasons there is insurgency in the country, which has led to human sufferings and death.

The Army Chief made the remarks while speaking as the Special Guest of Honour at the Third Quarter Media Chat of the Army Headquarters of the Civil Military Affairs Cooperation held at the premises of the 81 Division, Onikan. Lagos, which the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP) attended.

"There is no doubt that modern military operations have mutated from general warfare to complex asymmetric warfare such as insurgency and terrorism which incorporate crimes such as sabotage and kidnapping. These crimes are usually fueled by a deficit in infrastructure, social and economic collapse which in turn leads to human sufferings and sometimes death," Yahaya said.

Yahaya also identified the long stay of military in power as the reason behind the distrust among the citizens, noting that the Army is bent on restoring trust and confidence between the military and the citizens.

He said "It is to be noted that the involvement of the Nigerian Army in statecraft and governance of the country in the past negatively impacted professionalism and resulted in suspicion and resentment by the civil populace towards the Armed Forces. There is thus, the need to build trust, confidence and erase the negative perception of the military among the citizenry. This to large extent inspired the establishment of a Directorate which later transformed into the Department of Civil Military Affairs in the Army Headquarters."

Represented by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 81 Division, Major General Obinna Ajunwa, the COAS expressed utmost happiness at the opportunity to brainstorm with members of the fourth realm, noting that no organisation that knows its onions can do without the media, as they remain the eye and voice of the citizens.

The Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) media chat is organized in pursuance of the Nigerian Army’s drive towards keeping the media informed about its civil military cooperation activities as a means of dispelling rumors and providing accurate and timely information to the media in line with the Global Standard Operating Procedure, and is held every quarter. The first quarter edition was held in Abuja which the second quarter edition was moved because of the Army Day celebration held in Owerri, Imo State.

Present at the CIMIC Media chat were media practitioners and Journalists from various media organisations such as newspaper, TV, radio, and online bloggers. The delegate members from the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP) led by their President Samson Oki were also in attendance.