By ZAKAA LAZARUS
The Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Dr. Abubakar Ibrahim Kana, has urged defence correspondents to report the successes and sacrifices of Nigerian troops alongside the challenges confronting the nation’s security forces.
Dr. Kana, a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, spoke 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, Abuja.
He said journalists embedded with troops in operational theatres had witnessed the difficult conditions under which soldiers operate and should reflect such experiences in their reports.
“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.
“You have also come to realise that you are with the Armed Forces. They are working. So why should we report negative about our country? 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 commended DECAN for improved reporting of military operations, saying defence correspondents who accompanied troops to the battlefield were in a better position to understand the sacrifices of personnel.
“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.
Kana also commended the Armed Forces for supporting defence correspondents and providing access to operational areas.
“I must commend you people for accepting to be reporting the good things that are happening within the different activities. I also appreciate the Armed Forces for recognising the fact that they must be supporting you,” he said.
The former defence permanent secretary recalled his three-year tenure at the Ministry of Defence, saying his open-door policy enabled him to maintain close relationships with military personnel, civilian staff and journalists.
He said his experience exposed him to the operations of the various services and formations, adding that he insisted 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.
Kana highlighted some of the reforms and infrastructure projects undertaken during his tenure. He said he initiated the installation of reverse osmosis machines and water dispensers across the ministry to provide clean drinking water for workers.
“Since the Ministry of Defence took over the structure, no single renovation was done until I got there. I took the bull by the horn because if you start following process, process, process, you will never do it,” he said.
He said his administration also renovated toilets, improved the ministry’s external appearance, created additional car parks and upgraded other facilities.
He disclosed that he initiated the construction and equipping of a new hospital and expanded the dental unit to improve healthcare services for military personnel.
One of his major initiatives, he said, was the proposed harmonisation of the medical services of the Army, Navy and Air Force into a single Armed Forces Medical Corps.
According to him, the reform was designed to allow personnel access specialised medical services across the three services instead of being restricted to facilities operated by their respective services.
“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 the establishment of a medical college under the Nigerian Defence Academy, with the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna, developed as a teaching hospital.
He said the plan was also designed to reduce dependence on short-service medical officers by training and producing its own doctors and other medical personnel, adding that he secured a 100 per cent increase in the quota for house officers for the Armed Forces.
He further disclosed that the Ministry of Defence had begun plans to expand local defence manufacturing by encouraging private-sector participation outside Kaduna through the review of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act.
He said the initiative would enable military personnel to work with local defence manufacturers, thereby strengthening their skills and creating opportunities for them after retirement.
Earlier, the President of DECAN, 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 those who lost their lives.
Sunday described Kana as a respected public servant who made significant contributions to defence journalism during his tenure at the Ministry of Defence and 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,” Sunday 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 be formally conferred on him at the annual conference on Monday.
Sunday added that the Minister of Defence had confirmed his attendance at the event, while the National Security Adviser and the service chiefs were also expected to attend.
“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 the association for the recognition, promising to attend the conference.
