The federal government has disclosed that a Mobile Applications called “Mobiliser” which Nigerian youths can download on their respective phones to report crimes and criminalities in their comfort zones has been developed.
The Director-General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Issa Lanre-Onilu, disclosed this at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) during a meeting with media executives and top editors in Abuja on Wednesday.
Lanre-Onilu said the App would give security operatives comprising the Nigerian Police, the military and other security agencies to swing into actions to trail the criminals and bring them to book.
The announcement of this App came a few days after youths embarked on a nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest to demand among others, the permanent end to killings of innocent Nigerians by bandits and other criminals.
Speaking at the meeting, NOA DG, who was represented by the Director of Press, Paul Odenyi, explained that if youths knew of the lofty programmes the government has in stock for them, they would embrace them and not engage in any form of violence.
“We know and aware that it is very important to carry youths along in whatever programmes we do. I want to therefore use this medium to inform you that at the National Orientation Agency, we now have an App called ‘Mobiliser’, where Nigerian youth can report crimes and criminalities in first hand,” he said.
Earlier, the National Coordinator of NCTC, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Garba Laka, explained that the Centre embraces the media as critical partners in the fight against terrorism and other violent crimes, adding that it was expedient for both the media and the security agencies to be on the same page.
He added, “The Centre, in collaboration with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) in June this year conducted a 2-day training on Conflict-Sensitive Reporting.
“While we count on your support and cooperation as the last gatekeepers, hence all media contents are often published by your consent, it is in your place and sacred duty to take full control and effectively use your medium of communications to promote mutual trust, build unity among Nigerians and adequately counter the destructive ideologies and narratives of terrorist groups.
“There is no doubt that media contents have been well employed in the past to enlighten and reengineer the mind. They carry messages that encourage respect for human dignity, appreciation of our diversity, inspire loyalty and love of service for fatherland.”
In the same vein, a former spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Chris Olukolade, a retired major general, emphasised the importance of critical stakeholders, including the media, to change the narratives about the country.
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