President Muhammadu Buhari has advised security chiefs in the country to accept wrong doings and apologise, rather than try to cover up minor social transgressions, especially if the public is hurt.
The president who noted that an apology made voluntarily for causing serious harm or for a mistake made is a moral or ethical act as well as an act of good conscience, stressed that the overall goal of an apology is to restore dignity, social harmony and regaining the confidence of the offended.
He gave the advice when state commandants and public relations officers of all formations of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) converged at the corp’s national headquarters in Abuja for a three-day conference to brainstorm on the theme: “Managing Security Sensitive Information and Developing Effective Strategies for a Successful 2023 Election”.
Declaring the conference open, President Buhari, who was represented by his senior special adviser on media and publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, while emphasising that government had raised the bar of security and safety more assuredly than ever before in the country, said; “Don’t try to cover up infractions when you make mistakes, there is a need to accept wrongs, quickly accept it and immediately apologise to the public as this will help get them on your side again and help you regain their confidence.”
He commended security agencies in the country for the fight against insecurity and the resilience and unwavering commitment to the nation’s socio-economic development which he said is only possible in an atmosphere of peace and security.
Buhari who stressed the need for efficient relationship between heads of security formations and their spokespersons added that the best way to manage strategic communication within and among security agencies is by ensuring that information managers have access to their bosses at all times