Military urges media to portray Nigeria in good light

The Nigerian military has urged media organisations to always project the country in good light as being done by their counterparts in other societies in the general interest of the country.

It argued that the way local media portrays the country often contributes to shaping how the country and its citizens are perceived by the international community, including foreign investors.

The Director, Defence Information (DDI), Brigadier General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr made the appeal while speaking in Abuja on Saturday evening at the Third Security and Emergency Management Awards/First Spokespersons Communication Awards, organised by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPL).

“For example, you have the CNN projecting the image of the Americans; you have the BBC projecting the image of the United Kingdom; you have the Voice of America projecting the image of America.

“Here, in Nigeria, those who are working in the media must project the image of Nigeria positively, because it is the way you project your country that others will take it,” Sawyerr, who was also an awardee, said.

He commended those behind the initiative and expressed the hope that they too would one day be recognised for the good works they are doing.

The head of IMPL, Malam Yushau Shuaib said the initiative was intended to recognise those who are risking their lives to ensure that the country was safe to inhabit.

He appealed to Nigerians to always give maximum support to security agencies by volunteering information that will diligently aid them in the discharge of their duties of ensuring peace for the nation.