Nigeria’s Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has described calls in some quarters for President Muhammadu Buhari’s resignation as cheap and irresponsible politics power play.
The Minister disclosed this on Thursday in Lagos, South West Nigeria during an interactive session with members of the News Paper Proprietors Association of Nigeria.
“In the wake of the killing, there have been calls in some quarters for Mr. President to resign. Well, let me say here that this call amounts to playing dirty politics with the issue of security, and it is cheap and irresponsible,” he stated.
The Minister said President Buhari was elected in 2015 for a four-year term and re-elected in 2019 for another four-year term and no amount of hysterical calls for resignation would prevent him from serving out his term.
Giving details of the security challenges before the advent of the administration, the Minister said before the President assumed office, Boko Haram could stroll into any city, especially in the north, to carry out deadly attacks.
The Minister further stated that Abuja, the nation’s capital, Kano, Maiduguri, Jos, Damaturu, and other cities were regularly targeted.
”Motor parks, churches, mosques, shopping complexes were not spared. Today, that is a thing of the past. Suicide bombers used to have a field day detonating their bombs and killing innocent people.
“Today, that is no longer the case. Detonating Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) used to be a deadly tactic of Boko Haram. Today, that has changed. Boko Haram used to occupy territory, deposing and installing Emirs and collecting taxes.
”That’s no longer the case. These changes are not mere happenstance. They are part of the successes recorded by the military, under this President. Therefore, calling on the President to resign every time there is a setback in the war on terror is a needless distraction and cheap politicking. Let’s stop playing politics with the issue of security,” the Minister said.
According Mohammed, Boko Haram is today badly degraded and can only carry out cowardly attacks like the one against defenceless farmers over the weekend.
He said; “No nation, no matter how powerful, is immune to attacks on soft targets. 9-11 happened despite the prowess of the most powerful army in the world. Boko Haram’s only oxygen today is publicity. That’s why they have rushed to release a video claiming responsibility for the killing of the farmers.
”Please note that that video was shared to instill fear in the civil populace and maintain relevance in the eyes of their sponsors. There is no truth to the reason for their action. We therefore appeal to the general public to provide information about the insurgents to security forces to assist them in ending the war on terror.”
The Minister then urged Nigerians to continue to support the men and women in uniform, many of whom have made the supreme sacrifice to keep our nation safe.
Taming Terrorists
Alhaji Mohammed again said the recent killing of farmers in Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists was an act of cowardice and savagery by a group of deranged terrorists.
“Unfortunate and saddening as it is, the killing is not a true reflection of the progress being made by the military against Boko Haram,” he stressed.
The Minister believes that Boko Haram going after soft targets is a sign of weakness and desperation on their part, especially after they have suffered huge setbacks in the hands of the military in recent times.
The President of the Newspapers Proprietors of Nigeria, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena said ”the country is facing a serious crisis of security and called on all leaders of thought, elder statesmen and everybody to come out with workable solutions for the country.”
”It is not time for partisanship, politics or blame game, rather time to join hands and salvage the nation,” Mr Obaigbena stated.
He promised that NPAN as an association would work with the Minister to contribute in their own way, to find a lasting solution to the security crisis across the land.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
