Nigeria’s national security agency, the Department of State Services (DSS) said it has now created social media handles to enhance public and stakeholder engagements in its operations.
The Public Relations Officer of DSS, Dr. Peter Afunanya, disclosed this in a statement released on Monday. He said the handles were Twitter : @OfficialDSSNG, Facebook: OfficialDSSNG, and Instagram: @OfficialDSSNG.
According to him, the PRO’s Twitter handle is @DrAfunanya_PNA.
While noting that any representing the DSS on social media before now is fake as the Service had not been on any social media platform until now, the PRO stated:
- “Hitherto, the Service did not own or operate these handles. Its decision to operate them with effect from March 6, is to enhance public and stakeholder engagements.
- “The public should be guided and *NOTE* that any such handles before now were/are FAKE.”
With this new development, the DSS joins other government agencies in Nigeria that are leveraging social media to improve their communication and interactions with the public. It is expected that the new handles will provide an avenue for citizens to engage with the agency, provide feedback, and receive updates on the DSS’s activities.
It is worth noting that other security agencies in Nigeria have also embraced social media to improve communication and engagement with the public.
Other agencies with social media handles
For instance, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has social media handles on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with the usernames @PoliceNG, @PoliceNG_PCRRU, and @policenglagos, respectively. Similarly, the Nigerian Army has official social media handles on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with the usernames @HQNigerianArmy, NigerianArmy, and hqnigerianarmy, respectively. With the creation of official social media handles, the DSS is following the footsteps of other security agencies in Nigeria to enhance public and stakeholder engagements.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), another major security agency in Nigeria, has also embraced social media to communicate with the public. The EFCC has official social media handles on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with the usernames @officialEFCC, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and officialEFCC, respectively.
