Army cautions journalists against the use of COAS’ portrait

The Nigerian Army has warned journalists and media houses to desist from using wrong portraits of Chief of Army Staff, Faruk Yahaya, urging them to “disregard the old portrait.”

In a statement on Friday in Abuja, Army spokesman Onyema Nwachukwu noted that media organizations were in the habit of using improper photos of the army chief where he adorned uniforms with lower ranks that do not reflect his current status as a lieutenant-general.

Mr. Nwachukwu said Mr. Yahaya has changed his official portrait since he was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff but journalists and media houses have continued to use his old portrait.

“Following the appointment and subsequent decoration of the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, an official portrait was produced and disseminated to the media houses via various social media platforms and forums,” Mr. Nwachukwu said.

“However, it has been observed with dismay that despite this, some media houses, defense correspondents, and online media practitioners have persistently used the official portrait of the COAS when he was still a Major General in various command appointments,” he added.

Though Mr. Yahaya has the right to determine his official portrait, media houses and journalists are not compelled by any law to use any particular image to tell their stories.

Media houses have the right to determine which of Mr. Yahaya’s photos is used for their stories in a manner that does not misrepresent him, Peoples Gazette understands.