FG engaging foreign countries to deal decisively with insurgents — Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said the Federal Government is having constructive and meaningful engagement with friendly countries, member states of ECOWAS and other regional blocks to effectively and decisively deal with insecurity in the country.

Mohammed said the war should not be left to the government alone, calling for all hands to be on deck, if the war against insecurity was to be won.

He said these at the opening ceremony of a two-day national conference on “Culture, peace and national security and the role of the media,” organised by the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, NICO, in Kano.

Mohammed, who was represented by the Director, International Cultural Relations in his ministry, Mrs. Memunat Idu-Lah, however, reiterated the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to tackle security challenges confronting the nation.

He said, “Because this administration appreciates the fact that security challenges, such as we are confronted with currently, go beyond the capacity of individual countries to effectively handle. It is having constructive and meaningful engagement with friendly countries and collaborating with member states of ECOWAS and other regional blocks in order to effectively and decisively deal with insecurity in Nigeria.

“At this juncture, it is important to empathize that the war against insecurity should not be left for the government alone. All hands must be on deck if we want to win the war and overcome the security challenges which have become impediments to our national development aspiration.”

The Minister called on media practitioners to accord national interest priority in the discharge of their constitutional duties and shun fake news, hate speech and misinformation capable of worsening the security situation.