Lai Mohammed: I never said ‘Nigeria is at mercy of Boko Haram’ - ITREALMS

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The Federal Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has denied media report that Nigeria is at the mercy of Boko Haram, reports ITREALMS.

Speaking to ITREALMS at a ministerial briefing on Tuesday in Lagos, the minister decried the report, saying that it was a sheer fabrication of the publishing house, lamenting the influx of unconfirmed social media reports and effects on the future of the country.
“Talking about social media abuse, on Monday, an online publisher quoted me as saying Nigeria is at the mercy of Boko Haram. This is sheer fabrication and an abuse of platform. 

“While in Makurdi, Benue State, on an official visit, I was asked by journalists to comment on the killing of farmers in Borno State over the weekend,” he said. 

Wondering how above statement translated into the allegation by the unnamed online publication. 

According to him, terrorism is a global problem that requires the collaborative efforts among nations to combat, just as Nigeria needs the support of global partners, especially in the area of acquisition of effective platforms to deal with the terrorists. 

Stressing that some of the platforms ordered and paid for by Nigeria have yet to be supplied till date, thus weakening the war on terror. 

“I said terrorism is a global problem that requires the collaborative efforts among nations to combat. I said Nigeria needs the support of global partners, especially in the area of acquisition of effective platforms to deal with the terrorists. I recalled that some of the platforms ordered and paid for by Nigeria have yet to be supplied till date, thus weakening the war on terror.” 

Lamenting on how these statements translated to “Nigeria being at the mercy of Boko Haram is baffling, and could only have come from warped minds who are more interested in attracting traffic to their websites than upholding the truth. Is anyone still in doubt that something urgent needs to be done to rein in the abuse of social media? 

He, therefore, said that social media needs some serious oversight which anyone could be called “regulation or whatever, we have to do something most urgently.” 

Insisting on the need to check the abuse of social media, which the Minister maintained, “is not synonymous with stifling press freedom or free speech.”

Chris Uruakpa/Editor

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