The Nigerian Army as has been urged to create a more robust relationship with the civil populace if it wishes to win the war against insurgency
This advice was made by the Chairman Board of Trustees of the Guild Of Professional Bloggers of Nigeria and Editor in Chief of CKN News, Chris Kehinde Nwandu while delivering a paper titled
” Winning The Hearts And Minds Of The Civil Populace : Nigerian Society Viewpoint ” at the 19th edition of the Social Media Influencers Seminar on Civil Military Relations held in Abeokuta on Thursday
The event organized by Army Headquarters Department Of Civil Military Affairs in Conjuction with Security Affairs had in attendance several top officers of the Army and other security agencies and social media influencers
Mr Nwandu who enumerated the various reasons for the continued strained relationship between the military and civilians asked the military to bridge the trust deficit that currently exist between it and the civil Populace
While commending the Army for living up to its statutory role of securing the country against external aggression, Mr Nwandu believes much more could be done to win the confidence of Nigerians as the fight against insurgency enters a new phase
He identified major areas where the Army can improve on its human relations with the civilians
He also advocated for constant engagements and interactions between the two
Nwandu further recommended a feedback mechanism by the agencies on decisions taking on erring officers accused of human rights violations
He outlined the advent of the social media has made it impossible for any act committed by officers of the Army to be swept under the carpet
In his response, the Chief of Civil Military Affairs Maj Gen MG Kangye enumerated the achievements of the Nigerian Army in its quest towards a cordial and mutual relationship with civilians
He urged Nigerians to take advantage of various social media handles created by the agency to report any act of misconduct by their officers and men
He stated that the Nigerian Army should win the confidence of the Nigerian populace so that they can volunteer information freely that will lead to the elimination of terrorists
