The Office of the National Security Adviser, the Defence Headquarters and the Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration on accurate defence reporting, countering fake news and misinformation, and building public confidence in Nigeria’s security institutions.
The renewed partnership was sealed during separate courtesy visits by DECAN leadership, led by President Odita Sunday, to Special Adviser on Strategic Communication and Civil Society Liaison Chido Onumah and Director of Defence Information Major General Samaila Uba in Abuja. Odita described the relationship between security institutions and defence correspondents as a strategic partnership in advancing national security through responsible journalism, saying that while troops defend the nation’s territorial integrity on the battlefield, correspondents complement that work by informing and educating the public through accurate, balanced reporting. He called for greater access to official activities, regular operational briefings, specialised training for defence correspondents, dedicated media facilities for journalists covering the security sector, and broader inclusion of reporters in official engagements, and announced that DECAN will launch a quarterly publication, The Defence Correspondent, in October 2026 to document the activities and achievements of the Armed Forces and other defence institutions.
Onumah commended DECAN for its professionalism and acknowledged the important role defence correspondents play in helping the public understand national security issues, assuring the delegation that their requests would be presented to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu for consideration, and stressed that continuous capacity building would equip journalists to report security matters with greater professionalism, responsibility and accuracy, pledging that ONSA would keep working closely with the media on timely, effective communication around national security. Major General Uba congratulated the newly elected DECAN executives and described defence correspondents as strategic partners in strengthening national security through factual, balanced reporting, warning that the growing threat of misinformation, disinformation, social media manipulation and artificial intelligence has made responsible journalism more important than ever, and urged reporters to verify sensitive information through official military channels before publishing. Responsible journalism strengthens national security by denying adversaries the chance to exploit false narratives designed to spread fear, erode public confidence or damage the Armed Forces’ reputation, he said, urging journalists to avoid publishing classified military information that could compromise ongoing operations or aid terrorist groups, and conveyed the Chief of Defence Staff’s appreciation to defence correspondents for their continued professional coverage of military activities.
