Nigeria Is Not A Failed State Can’t Be Like Afghanistan – Lai Mohammed
POLITICAL DIGEST – Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, has said that it is not possible for Nigeria to be like Afghanistan, stressing that Nigeria is not a failed state and cannot go the way of Afghanistan where a terrorist group has taken the reign of power.
The minister stated this in Washington DC during his engagements with international media organisations, including BBC Radio and Television, Bloomberg and Politico.
The Minister who is in the United States to meet with international media organisations and think tanks on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and efforts made si far in tackling insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality.
Mohammed, who faulted insinuation in certain quarters that the security situation in Nigeria could degenerate to that of Afghanistan, maintaining that Nigeria is winning the war against terror and the country cannot go the way of Afghanistan where the Taliban, a terrorist group, took over power.
He said, “Nigeria is not and will not be a failed state. Yes, we have challenges in some corners of the country but that has not made Nigeria a failed state.
Read Also:
“A failed state is one where basic facilities are not available and everything has broken down, but Nigeria is not in that stage,’’ he said.
Mohammed pointed out that Nigeria is not at war adding that fake news and disinformation was being used to portray the country in a precarious situation.
While commending President Muhammadu Buhari for his efforts at tackling insecurity, the Minister stressed that the development in Afghanistan had proven right the position of President Buhari that when fighting an unconventional war, the country had to be resourceful
Mohammed said, “If what happened in Afghanistan is something to go by, then the federal government should be given kudos for the way it has handled insurgency in the last couple of years.
“The lessons from Afghanistan today is that for over 20 years of American intervention and over a trillion dollars spent and thousands of American lives lost, it took the Taliban just a few weeks to recapture Afghanistan.
He added, “This should be a lesson for everybody that when you are fighting an insurgency or movement driven by ideology, it is always difficult to overcome and you must be resourceful, deploying both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches.
“When people were saying we should invite mercenaries, the president was focused and maintained that our military have what it takes.
He maintained that the President should be given kudos for believing in the country’s military and deploying both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches.
