Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has urged media professionals to take a frontline role in countering misinformation and fake news, insisting that dominance of the information space is now central to national security and operational success.
Lt. Gen. Shaibu gave the charge on Tuesday, at the opening ceremony of the Directorate of Army Public Relations (DAPR) Combined First and Second Quarter Media Workshop 2026, held at the Army War College Nigeria.
Lt. Gen. Shaibu, represented by the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs (Army), Major General Musa Etsu-Ndagi, described strategic communication as a key force multiplier in modern military operations, stressing that no meaningful joint or multi-agency success can be sustained without effective media integration.
He said in today’s fast-changing information environment, perception can quickly shape reality, adding that the media remains central to building public confidence, strengthening trust, and denying adversaries room to exploit information gaps.
Sustained engagement with the public, he noted, has become a strategic necessity across all theatres of operation, while transparent communication helps strengthen credibility and support the broader security framework.
Speaking on the theme, _“Media Integration as a Force Multiplier for Joint and Multi-Agency Operational Success”,_ Shaibu described the workshop as timely, noting that security operations now depend as much on communication as on field coordination.
He pointed to operational gains recorded by the Nigerian Army through inter-agency collaboration, intelligence sharing, and unified planning, saying such achievements must be properly communicated to the public to sustain confidence and prevent distortion of facts.
Shaibu reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to defending Nigeria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and constitutional order. He commended the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, for her role in strengthening the Army’s communication capacity through the workshop.
He also expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, for continued support and strategic guidance aimed at improving military effectiveness.
Earlier, Colonel Appolonia Anele said the workshop was designed to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, where threats now extend beyond the battlefield into the information space.
She warned that fake news, misinformation, disinformation, and AI-generated content pose growing risks to national security, stressing the need for closer collaboration between the military and the media to ensure accurate reporting and national cohesion.
She also thanked the Chief of Army Staff for his leadership and investment in personnel development, modernisation, and strategic communication within the Nigerian Army.
The workshop continues with participants expected to explore conflict-sensitive reporting, media–military coordination, and strategies for countering disinformation in real time, as the Army strengthens both its kinetic and information operations.
