Defence Correspondents Must Report Troops’ Successes, Sacrifices — Kana

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja 

The Permanent Secretary, General Services Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Dr Abubakar Ibrahim Kana, has urged defence correspondents to give adequate attention to the successes and sacrifices of Nigerian troops in their coverage of the nation’s security operations.

Kana, a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja when he received the leadership of the Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DECAN), ahead of the association’s annual conference scheduled for Monday at the Army Officers’ Mess 1, Asokoro.

He said journalists who had accompanied troops into operational theatres had witnessed first-hand the difficult conditions under which military personnel operate and should reflect such experiences in their reports.

According to him, defence reporting should not focus solely on casualties suffered by the military without highlighting the successes recorded against terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements.

“Unlike in the past where journalists report 50 soldiers killed, one soldier beheaded, but you did not report that 1,000 bandits were killed. That should be the news,” Kana said.

He questioned reports that portray the Armed Forces negatively despite the sacrifices being made by personnel in the fight against insecurity.

“The banditry, the insurgency, whatever that we are having—is it the fault of the Armed Forces? No. But the Armed Forces have sacrificed,” he said.

Kana commended DECAN for what he described as improved coverage of military operations, saying correspondents who had visited the battlefield were better positioned to appreciate the sacrifices of troops.

“You have seen life. You have followed them to the war front. You have seen that these guys actually work day and night. The least we can do for them is appreciation,” he said.

He also commended the Armed Forces for supporting defence correspondents and granting journalists access to operational areas.

Kana recalled his three-year tenure at the Ministry of Defence, saying his open-door policy enabled him to maintain strong relationships with military personnel, civilian staff and journalists.

He said his experience in the ministry exposed him to the operations of the various services and formations, stressing that the Permanent Secretary, as the accounting officer, should have access to information concerning government-funded operations.

“Any operation we are going for, Permanent Secretary must know. That is why the peace support operation coordinator, his office is my office,” he said.

The former Permanent Secretary also highlighted some of the reforms and infrastructure projects initiated during his tenure, including the installation of reverse osmosis machines and water dispensers across the Ministry of Defence.

He said his administration also renovated toilets, improved the ministry’s external appearance, created additional parking spaces and upgraded other facilities.

Kana disclosed that a new hospital was initiated and equipped, while the dental unit was expanded to improve healthcare delivery to military personnel.

He further revealed that he championed a proposal to harmonise the medical services of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force into a single Armed Forces Medical Corps.

According to him, the reform would enable military personnel to access specialised medical services across the three services rather than being restricted to facilities operated by their respective services.

“I said, can we do what everybody in the world is doing? Let’s bring them together into one single Armed Forces Medical Corps, not Army Medical Corps, Navy or Air Force,” he said.

Kana said the proposal included establishing a medical college under the Nigerian Defence Academy, with the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna, developed as a teaching hospital.

He said the initiative was also designed to reduce the Armed Forces’ dependence on short-service medical officers by training and producing its own doctors and other medical personnel.

He added that he secured a 100 per cent increase in the quota for house officers for the Armed Forces as part of the initiative.

Kana also disclosed that efforts were underway to expand local defence manufacturing by encouraging greater private-sector participation outside Kaduna.

He said the proposed review of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act was intended to allow private manufacturers in other parts of the country to participate in defence production.

According to him, the initiative would also provide opportunities for military personnel to work with local defence manufacturers, strengthen their technical skills and create employment opportunities for them after retirement.

Earlier, DECAN President, Odita Sunday, expressed sadness over the death of military personnel and civilians in a helicopter crash on Monday and prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims.

Sunday described Kana as a respected public servant who made significant contributions to defence journalism during his tenure at the Ministry of Defence.

He said Kana was instrumental to the registration of DECAN with the Corporate Affairs Commission after providing the association with a letter of introduction.

“Dr Kana is somebody that journalists on the Ministry of Defence beat miss so much. He operated an open-door policy, and he really wanted to do a lot for the press when he was there,” Odita said.

He disclosed that more than 100 members of the association voted for Kana to become a patron of DECAN, adding that the honour would formally be conferred on him at the association’s annual conference on Monday.

Odita said the Minister of Defence had confirmed his attendance at the conference, while the National Security Adviser and the service chiefs were also expected to attend.

He said the support of the Armed Forces for the conference demonstrated the strong relationship between the military and defence correspondents.

“Before journalists can say you are somebody they love, you must deserve it, and you must have paid your dues. Dr Kana is still a bureaucratic giant, a highly respected public servant that we hold in high esteem,” he said.

Kana accepted the nomination and thanked DECAN for the recognition, promising to attend the association’s conference on Monday.