By Emmanuel Obisue
Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Christopher Musa has charged Nigerians to refrain from speaking evil against their country, stressing that “as Africans, we know that there’s power in the tongue”.
The CDS who gave this admonition on Tuesday in Abuja in his keynote address at a One Day Seminar of the Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria, DECAN, charged Nigerians to begin to take responsible ownership of their country and begin to speak positively to change the narrative.
He expressed regret that other countries, unlike Nigeria, also face numerous challenges, but they never speak ill of the government.
He said,”We have seen countries, most countries, it’s not like they don’t have issues, but they don’t put their own problems in the forefront like we do.
“And that is what is affecting us as individuals. We must wish our country well and our leaders well. When they err, let us call them to question and proffer solutions.
“It’s not just negative criticism. Every day you are insulting and cursing. You’re calling for God to punish them. No, you cannot kill your country because you feel that way. You don’t grow a country that way.”
On how much security threats have evolved globally, Gen. Musa said the deployment of non-kinetic approaches has become more relevant towards winning the “hearts and minds of citizens”.
The CDS noted that the approach has produced laudable results, while speaking on the Seminar’s Theme: ‘Civil Military Relations: Non-Kinetic Efforts Of The Nigerian Military In Security Management, Challenges, And Prospects’.
Earlier, Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba and Director of Defence Information, Major General Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, jointly called for a whole-nation approach and constructive/patriotic engagement with the government.
Buba specifically noted that in war and security situations, “everybody has a role to play”.
