The Rivers State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has called on the newly appointed service chiefs to exhibit high level of professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
The institute which said this at the end of its monthly meeting in Port Harcourt also called on them to see the whole of Nigeria and Nigerians as their constituency and people irrespective of their religious and ethnic leanings.
A communiqué jointly drafted by Chinedum Emeana Apianbo Abbey and Parry Saro Benson, also called on them to avoid being used for the political interest of any group or persons, but remain loyal and committed to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to the institute; “they should undertake a proper evaluation of the fight against insecurity in the country with a view to finding out the progress made so far, failures of their predecessors and as well as areas that need to be strengthened.
“They must work to engender synergy amongst the different arms of the Armed Forces as well as with the other security agencies for optimal performance in the fight against insurgency and other criminalities”.
The NIPR further charged the new service chiefs to be more proactive on intelligence gathering instead of the reactive model hitherto adopted.
According to the communiqué, adequate crisis management as preventive measures should be put in place to forestall the brewing ethno-religious crises in different parts of the country.
The institute also tasked the Armed Forces and other security agencies to embark on confidence building measures as creation of good will amongst the civil populace by reactivating and empowering their public relations units to function effectively.
It also called on the citizenry to support the security agencies in the fight against insecurity by way of volunteering information when needed.
Other recommendations include, proper policing of the country’s borders to prevent the influx of miscreants into the country from neighbouring countries, as well as profiling of criminals of other nationalities with a view to repatriating them to their countries of origin.
It also stressed the need for men and officers of the armed forces and other security agencies to be adequately motivated by way of remuneration, promotion and special awards with a view to boosting their morale for increased efficiency, while the security agencies be properly funded and equipped to tackle insurgency and other security challenges in the country.