The Nigerian Army (NA) has appointed Onyinyechi Anele, a lieutenant colonel, as acting director of army public relations.
She is the first woman to be appointed to the position.
Markus Kangye, director of defence media operations, confirmed Anele’s appointment to newsmen.
Anele will officially succeed Onyema Nwachukwu, a major general, on April 22.
Prior to her appointment, Anele worked at the department of civil-military relations.
She once served as the public relations officer in the office of the chief of army staff. She is a member of Direct Regular Course 15 and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
Nwachukwu spent over three years as the army’s spokesperson. He was appointed in June 2021 following a major reshuffling in the military.
Nwachukwu served three Chief of Army Staffs as army image maker, starting with Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya (Rtd), Late Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, and the incumbent COAS, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede.
Meanwhile, the NA discredited a viral video on the lack of ammunition, explaining that the trending video footage is recycled with the obnoxious and malicious intent of denigrating the Nigerian Army.
Outgoing spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, said: “The attention of the NA has been drawn to an old video posted on various social media platforms by unscrupulous elements showing troops chanting, ‘Enough Is Enough: They’re Playing Politics With People’s Lives, Without Ammunition.’”
To this end, the Nigerian Army clarified that the said video is an old audio-visual being recycled with the obnoxious and malicious intent of denigrating the Nigerian Army, particularly at a time when the institution is doing everything to reinvigorate its efforts in containing security challenges bedevilling the country.
Nwachukwu said that while it is needless to join issues with such unpatriotic elements, the service further clarified that it is not lacking in the requisite logistics to carry out its constitutional mandates. This, he said, is evident in the series of successes recorded in various theatres of operations.
“As the NA continues to count on the support of well-meaning Nigerians through the provision of credible information that could enhance the surmounting of the security challenges bedevilling the nation, the general public is once again enjoined to refrain from circulating such mischievous content, as it not only constitutes a distraction to ongoing operations but also serves to dampen the morale of the troops.
“The despicable act of recycling an old video just to gain traction on social media is, therefore, undignifying and a complete distraction to the noble course of defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria.”
He enjoined the public to always fact-check their information before sharing the content in order to prevent the spread of fake and misleading narratives.
