The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, in Lagos on Thursday called for caution on the use of social media by personnel of the Nigerian Army.
Buratai gave the caution at a three day workshop with the theme “Office Management and Document Security workshop 2018’’ held in Lagos.
He said that the social media posed an additional challenge in information security.
The COAS, who was represented by thethe Army Chief of Administration, Maj.-Gen. Idris Alkali, said some misguided personnel had abused the use of social media contrary to the rules of the service.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was a quarterly event organised to improve the capacity of clerks within the service.
Buratai said:”The Nigerian Army has a policy on the use of social media. The use of social media to discuss or disclose service matter is absolutely wrong.
“It is very unprofessional for personnel to resort to social media to disclose classified information or express grievances when the Nigerian Army has well established channels for addressing complaints.
“It is equally saddening to find operational issues and utterances including some gory pictures involving our personnel and equipment being circulated on social media.’’
He warned troops against the use of social media to the embarrassment of the service and affected families.
“I want you to take particularly of the presentations as it will also highlight the inherent risk associated with the advent of social media and all the steps you must not take to compromise information as clerks,” he said.
The COAS said that the army had initiated a process that would lead to the establishment of a directorate that would focus solely on the management of social media in the service.
“This is part of my action plan to curtail the risk associated with the use of social media by personnel,’’ he said.
Buratai noted that the workshop would draw the attention of clerks on the importance of securing service documents in a manner that would not jeopardise Nigerian Army operations and administration.
“This workshop will help you towards playing your expected roles in actualising my vision which is to have a professionally responsive Nigerian Army in the discharge of its constitutional role.
“I directed the holding of office management and document security workshop for clerks’ having known the important roles they play in handling and management of our documents.
“Some of which are highly classified and their disclosures are dangerous to our national interest,” he stated.
The Director of Manpower Planning, Maj.–Gen. Kay Isiyaku, at the workshop, said that the service was faced with the issue of leakages as documents that are supposed to be treated as confidential found their way into public domain.
“Where documents are supposed to be put into use are leaked to people that are outside, it therefore compromises whatever we are supposed to do.
“This of course is detrimental to the effective and efficient workings of any organisation.
“We have had cases of people transmitting classified document particularly through the social media and that doesn’t go down well with the authorities,’’ he said.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 81 Division, Maj.-Gen. Enobong Udoh, urged the participants to discipline themselves by seizing the opportunity to improve themselves in the discharge of their duties. (NAN)
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