The Department of State Service (DSS) has formally and technically shuts its door on the media and public concerning its operations.
Consequently, it has redeployed its long time public relations director, Dr. Peter Afunanya.
Dr. Afunanya, who himself broke the news to newsmen in a chat said that the DSS new media policy to the public would take into account the ideal of “the less visible the service becomes in the media and public spaces, the more effective it will be in picking the needed and requisite intelligence to secure the country against subversive elements and tackle the growing insecurity across the federation.”
Dr. Afunanya, who announced his exit as the spokesperson of the service, said: “Beginnings also end. It’s goodbye. It’s good night and yet a good morning. I remain a Nigerian with love, loyalty, honour and glory. So, help me God.”
He said that the new communication policy is in line with global best practices amongst covert policing institutions in the world.
This means that the service will return to the culture of opaqueness in dealing the public, particularly the media, especially as it relates to information sharing.
The outgoing DSS spokesperson explained that the service is working out new modalities of sharing information with the media.
According to him, robust media engagement witnessed under his headship is no longer tenable as information can only be shared when it is extremely necessary.
Dr. Afunanya who said that he had been redeployed back to core intelligence duty, shared with nostalgia, his 10-year experience with journalists as the image maker of the service.
He advised the media to cooperate with the service in the interest of national security and economic growth.
Dr. Afunanya commended the service for the opportunity offered him to grow from a mid-level officer to a director in the public relations directorate, promised to give his best in his new assignment.
