Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro, the Acting Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has reiterated the commitment of the Agency towards eradicating the activities of unscrupulous elements who are bent on disrupting the peace in its areas of operation.
Speaking as a special guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information (NASPRI) media workshop in Lagos, Jauro said that NIMASA would ensure the success of the working agreements with the Nigerian military so as to keep the maritime environment safe from criminal activities.
He commended the military for its dogged war against insurgency, saying that he had a first-hand experience of the security challenges of the northeast region being an indigene of Yobe State who lived in the Maiduguri/Damaturu axis between 1985 and 2012 when he took up the NIMASA assignment.
The DG said: “We, the civilian populace, our hearts are now better at peace when we noticed the renewed commitment and motivation demonstrated by our armed forces. Peace is needed for every activity to progress. We raise our thumbs up for our military seeing what is happening. And we want to say ‘kudos’ to you.”
Jauro urged the media to always ensure that they balance their business goals with national interest. He charged participants, consisting of military officers and defence correspondents, to use the workshop to add to the gamut of knowledge in the Armed Forces.
He praised the media for downplaying the issue of insurgency, which has further frustrated the murderous activities of the terror group. “The media is an important stakeholder in all phases of military operations, particularly in the ongoing fight against insurgency,” he said.
The Commandant of NASPRI, Colonel John Agim commended the NIMASA helmsman for his passion, dedication to duty and love for the military and the country.
He revealed that his communication with the NIMASA boss was purely official having not met him before the event, “yet he accepted to grace the occasion despite his tight schedules.”
The Managing Director of New Telegraph newspapers, Mrs Funke Egbemode, delivered a paper on “Publicity: A Tool for Enhancing Terrorists Self Esteem” on behalf of President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina.
By Pita Ochai