₦airaland Forum

The Nigerian army says plans are underway to establish a directorate to control and regulate ‘illegal’ disclosure of security information through the social media.

The Chief of army staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai made this known at a workshop on office management and document security for officers of the Nigerian army in Abuja.

The army chief explained that the workshop was to keep the officers abreast with modern office management procedures as well as increase capacity towards ensuring a professionally-responsive Nigerian army.

Represented at the event by the chief of policy and planning, Major General Chris Jemitola, Buratai observed that the disclosure of sensitive document could jeopardise national security.

He disclosed that the army is working on having a unit to regulate the usage of the social media in information dissemination.

“The Nigerian army has extant policy on the use of the social media which prohibits among others the use of social media to discuss or disclose service matters.

“It’s indeed very unfortunate and unprofessional for service personnel to resort to the social media to disclose classified information or express grievances.

“I have already initiated a process that could lead to the establishment of a directorate in the Nigerian army that will focus solely on the management of the social media in the service.”

He said.

In a remark, the chief of administration, Major General Idris Alkali stressed that it was essential for officers to be abreast with ways of securing sensitive documents, and called on officers to make good use of the opportunity that the workshop provides to learn new ways of enhancing the operations of the army.

Major General Alkali also noted that the Nigerian army is involved in many important operations both at home and abroad, and thus the protection of its documents should be accorded priority.

The leadership of the army had in recent times condemned the attitudes of officers fighting the Islamist insurrection in the north-east who took to social media to share their plights in the war zone.

The force headquarters had, rather than just engage them towards finding a cure for that which aches them, questioned their professionalism and loyalty, and this latest plan strongly reeks of an attempt at criminalizing their knack for crying out.

https://ezeja.com/news/2017/04/11/nigerian-army-planning-control-regulate-social-media/

Wow, this will affect a lot of defence blogs.

I hope Beegeagle is aware of this.

cc@tdayof

Long over due.

A situation where military men and officers keep revealing some sensitive and classified information of the military on social media for whatsoever reason speaks volumes of some unpatriotic elements in the military which will not augur well for the military and by extension, the nation at large.

We're in a Democracy not Military Dictatorship. The Military should control its Information in accordance with The Constitution of The Federal Republic.

Abeg dey shuldnt try it..trust Nigerians before u know wots happening the military will pass dere boundary ad start harassing people especially bloggers.

orisa37:
We're in a Democracy not Military Dictatorship. The Military should control its Information in accordance with The Constitution of The Federal Republic.

Did you read the post?

orisa37:
We're in a Democracy not Military Dictatorship. The Military should control its Information in accordance with The Constitution of The Federal Republic.

please do not comment if you're not ready to read.

CASTOSVILLA:
please do not comment if you're not ready to read.

daududaniel:
Did you read the post?

The thing taya me oh! I just weak.

Nice one...officers of the NA should behave....secrets should remain so especially if it has to to with national security

So this literally means that when officers fighting Boko Haram cry out to the press that they have been made to fight Boko Haram with their bare hands, they will be prosecuted rather than be commended.

CASTOSVILLA:
please do not comment if you're not ready to read.

Write well to reflect your topic. We are in a Democracy with a Constitution that can only be amended by NASS.

I'm saying that in a Democracy, The People regulate The Military and not the other way round.