Defence Information is a term for the central information platform for the Nigerian armed forces whose purpose is to deal with the media on public affairs issues. The term is also used for the department or officer responsible for Public Relations activities for the joint service of the military which include Army, Airforce and Navy.
The Department of Defence Information is one of the sensitive organs of the Defence Headquarters. The department has undoubtedly received moral supports and encouragement from the current Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshall Alex Badeh who ensures that the activities of the armed forces are adequately and timely reported.
Notwithstanding the challenges and distractions of the novel security challenge that assailed the country, Air Marshall Badeh was not distracted from towing the path he crafted for his administration as encapsulated in his mission statement which was to “enhance effective co-ordination of the Armed Forces to meet the security aspirations of a united democratic Nigeria”.
More instructive was his constant admonition to Nigerians that when a country is at war, it is not only the military that will wage the war but the entire citizenry. This means that every Nigerian citizen, individual or corporate, has part to play in the war against the agents of darkness that were determined to destroy our dear country. But the antics and mischief of the propaganda machinery of the terrorists and sundry agent provocateurs using the instrumentality of the media were not lost on the Chief. He saw the damage being done to the image and character of the Nigerian military through false account of the counter terrorist operation by a small but loquacious segment of the media and thought that the time was right to establish an armed forces radio station which will enhance effective management and timely dissemination of information on the activities and roles of the Nigerian Armed Forces especially in times of internal security operation such as the ongoing fight against terrorism in the country.
Without prevarication and in the face of contending priorities, he initiated and completed the establishment of an ultra-modern radio station for the Armed Forces of Nigeria, first of its kind in the annals of our country. The radio which boasts of state-of-the-art digital facilities including seven digital studios, outside broadcast (OB) van, transmitter that has the capacity to transmit message up to 500 kilometers radius and a website facility that will stream live to global audience. The station which is also known as Defence Radio, and transmits on 107.7 Frequency Modulation band (FM), was commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan on May 22, 2015. It is envisioned that the radio station give the Nigerian military a platform to tell its own story, provide information to the public and promote healthy civil-military relations in the country.
Realising the competence of his team, Alex Badeh would rather take necessary risk to save his staffs that are unnecessarily being victimised. He once came out openly to defend his spokesperson, Major General Chris Olukolade who is also Director Defence Information over a controversial statement on Chibok girls. The CDS said Olukolade was misled by officers who gave him wrong information on the whereabouts of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls.
Badeh also accused sections of the Nigerian media of celebrating Boko Haram. “Some newspapers celebrate when anything bad happens to this country. They really celebrate it, maybe because of politics. I only wish they know the implication of such reporting to the image of the country.”
Apart from delegating responsibilities and encouraging the spirit of team work, Alex Badeh has ensured an enviable synergy and improved inter-agency collaboration, not only among service chiefs but with other security agencies. Past inter-agency rivalry and mutual suspicions have given way for a united team of security agencies speaking with one voice on sensitive issues.
Some critics tagged him as a controversial personality because of his bluntness on issues. His arguments are hardly disputed. While pleading with Nigerians to help the military with accurate information so that the country can be more effective in the anti-terror war, he insinuated that western countries were not ready to help Nigeria despite the fact that Boko Haram “is more vicious” than the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is currently being bombed by the US and its Arab allies.
“If you look at what is happening in Nigeria, Boko Haram is not different with ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In fact, our own people are more vicious.