Nigeria’s Defence Ministry has announced plans to embed journalists with military units during operations, revealing the proposal at a two-day National Security Summit organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abuja.
Nigeria’s military may soon have a new set of faces in its ranks — journalists. The Federal Government has floated a bold initiative that would see reporters accompany troops on selected operations, in what it described as a push for transparency and accurate security coverage.
Defence Minister General Christopher Musa made the disclosure at the National Security Summit organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in collaboration with the Department of State Services in Abuja, themed “Media and Security Agencies as Partners in Nation Building.”
Represented by his Special Adviser, Rear Admiral Olusanya Bankole, Musa laid out the rationale plainly. According to First Daily News, he stressed that modern security operations now extend beyond land, air and maritime domains to include the information space, making the media a strategic component of national security architecture, and that military success should not only be measured by battlefield victories but also by the level of public confidence in security institutions.
“The Defence Ministry is exploring arrangements to embed journalists with military units during operations to enable more accurate reporting and deeper understanding of operational realities,” he said.
NUJ National President Alhassan Yahaya Abdullahi echoed the sentiment, saying national security could no longer be left solely to security agencies and that journalists have critical roles to play in safeguarding the country. “I firmly believed then, as I do now, that meaningful dialogue and cooperation are essential to strengthening our democracy and advancing the public interest,” he said.
The summit produced commitments from both the media and security agencies to deepen engagement, build trust and establish mechanisms for verification and responsible reporting.
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