The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has been chastised for claiming that Nigeria is winning the war on terrorism.
Mohammed has been accused of stretching the truth when he claims that the current government is winning the war on terrorism.
According to the minister, the security situation regarding insurgency under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is better than under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
In an interview with the BBC, the minister claimed that the situation was worse under Jonathan’s administration.
He noted that the “entire Northeast was a no-go area” due to insurgency-related closures of schools, markets, and hospitals.
Following Buhari’s election, the minister stated that the Buhari-led government was winning the war against insurgency and that Nigeria was not a failed state.
Following the recent onslaught against them, he claimed that terrorists had decided to surrender to Nigerian troops.
However, Usman Okai Austin, the National Youth Coordinator of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, countered Mohammed’s position, claiming that the Buhari administration was losing the fight against insecurity.
Despite his age, Okai described Mohammed as a liar, emphasizing that Nigeria’s security situation is worse now than it was during Jonathan’s tenure.
Commuters in some northern states are afraid to travel by road because of the threat of bandits and kidnappers.
Insecurity during Jonathan’s presidency, according to Okai, was politicized and used as a campaign tool against the former president.
He warned that some of Mohammed’s statements could exacerbate Nigeria’s deteriorating situation.
“By comparing this administration to Jonathan’s, Lai Mohammed is unaware that he is the government in power,” Okai claims. You are aware that Nigerians in some parts of the north can no longer travel by road.
“Go to the airports and railway stations between Abuja and Kaduna today and see how many people are attempting to travel. People now borrow money to travel for burials, not because they can’t afford to buy fuel for their vehicles, but because they’re afraid of being kidnapped by bandits and need to fly to any part of the North.
“Can you tell me what he’s talking about?” There was little insecurity, which was exaggerated by the machinery that was used to bring Jonathan down at all costs as a campaign tool. Former APC leader Baraje testified that the boys terrorizing the country were brought in to aid in the election rigging. Mohammed needs to wake up, and that is why the country is still fighting an insurgency; this is not about the PDP or the APC. These thugs have no idea who is a member of the PDP or the APC.
“They are kidnapping students from Islamic and Christian schools, and now they have kidnapped the Commissioner of Niger State. Is he not an APC member? It’s unfortunate that Minister of Information Lai Mohammed is still lying at his age. His statements are contributing to our problems, and I’m not sure why President Buhari keeps him around.
“He continues to blame Jonathan, even as his party begs the same Jonathan to join them so he can run for president. Are you aware that they are attempting to influence Jonathan? The Governors of the APC and Mai Mala Buni are romancing Jonathan and pleading with him to join the party so that he can get an automatic ticket. Why are you lobbying him when they are begging him and claiming that they are doing better?
“The country’s security situation is spiraling out of control. The sooner the Minister of Information realizes the truth, the better. This is why they are suppressing the media at all costs; there is no Twitter today, and Facebook will follow, and once they do, they will have caged the press using the MBC code, which is currently being amended in the National Assembly. By the time Lai Mohammed accomplishes this, he will have lied to Nigerians and the rest of the world. He should wake up to the truth because Nigerians are no longer sleeping.
“These kidnappers are in Abuja, and they are kidnapping between Lokoja and Abuja; they are kidnapping between Abuja and Kaduna. Even though some people were murdered just last week between Bauchi and Jos, we have a minister telling us that Nigeria is now safer; please, what is he talking about? ESN is massacring people in the Southeast, so it’s unfortunate that the Minister of Information is still under the impression that he’s campaigning.
“We’re pleading with him to stop pandering to the public by deceiving Nigerians. We just donated N5 million to one of our friends who was kidnapped between Kaduna and Abuja last week, and these victims are left at the mercy of whatever ransom they can pay.
“In Niger State, a school is being sold to raise funds to pay for a ransom demanded by bandits. Is the money being paid by the government? As a result, Lai Mohammed should refrain from insulting Nigerian sensibilities; his statements are becoming increasingly troubling and disturbing. It has the ability to increase ground tension. Lai Mohammed has not been sincere from the beginning, and he continues to be so. “
