The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lai Mohammed

  • Minister urges international proscription of IPOB

    Minister urges international proscription of IPOB

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, wants the international community to join in designating the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) a terrorist organization.

    The minister, in an October 12, 2017 article in the United States newspaper “Washington Times” asked Nigeria’s international partners to support the Federal Government to designate IPOB a terrorist group.

    In the article entitled: ”Thwarting Terrorism in Nigeria,” Mohammed said IPOB’s actions qualify it as a terrorist organization in most jurisdictions.

    The federal government had on September 20, 2017, proscribed IPOB for violently agitating for the creation of an independent Biafra.

    “The terror lays bare their opportunism. They masquerade as a separatist movement, yet they endanger the very people they claim to represent. In reality, IPOB cares about IPOB and nothing more,” Mohammed said.

    He cited some of the statements used by  IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, such as: “If they fail to give us Biafra, Somalia will look like a paradise compared to what will happen to that ‘zoo’ ‘(Nigeria), “I don’t want peaceful actualization (of Biafra)”; “We need guns and we need bullets,” “If they don’t (give us Biafra), they will die.” .

    He argued that IPOB was similar in its actions to groups like  ETA in Spain, the Tamil Tigers was in Sri Lanka, and the PKK of Turkey all of which are proscribed by the U.S. State Department.

    He said the Buhari administration would not make the type of mistake made by the previous administration in allowing terrorists to capture land.

    “The government reiterates its appeal to its international partners to proscribe the organization, and in doing so, starve it of the funds which gives it sustenance. Nigeria has just defeated one preventable terrorist insurgency. This one must not be given the chance to get a foothold,” the minister emphasized.

  • Corruption: 55 people stole $6.2bn – Lai Mohammed

    Corruption: 55 people stole $6.2bn – Lai Mohammed

    •Buhari’s adviser asks Patience Jonathan to come clean

    Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed says 55 people may have stolen   about $6.2 billion public funds from the country.

    He gave no names of the culprits, listing only projects which government could have executed with a third of the funds, if recovered.

    Mohammed spoke on an Al Jazeera as part of a feature on the vast properties acquired in the UK with stolen funds by Nigerians.

    According to the minister, $2.06billion of the alleged stolen funds would have built 600 kilometres of roads, 37 hospitals, 20,000 housing units and trained 4000 kids from primary to university level.

    The corruption problem was also the subject of discussion on the Facebook wall of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie yesterday.

    Onochie aimed darts at former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and ex-Petroleum Affairs Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke for what she called their weird demands.

    Her words: “It’s the season of weird demands. Recently, Nigerians were assaulted by the demand by the wife of the former President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience Jonathan, asking President Muhammadu Buhari to “Tell EFCC to leave her alone.”

    “Fat chance! EFCC is an institution, not an adulterous man running after someone else’s wife. “So, woman to woman, I asked her to look inwards. Patience should wear the sort of aura that dispels, rather than attracts law enforcement agencies.

    “She can start by being honest and coming clean, regarding everything – cash, properties, etc., that were ill-acquired. Then hand them back to the rightful owners. Yes, back to Nigerians via the EFCC.

    “You see, EFCC, ICPC, DSS, CCT, all follow the smell of crimes. If she does not have suspicions of criminal activities oozing and buzzing from and around her, there’s no way she’ll be dragging President Buhari to commit impunity by ordering EFCC to leave you alone.

    “But there again, she’s been busy swatting the bees, she had no time to see that her husband’s reign of impunity, ended many moons ago.

    “But that’s not the end of the story. And then, there’s Diezani Alison- Madueke.

    “She too, wants something. She wants to return home. Remember she’s in the UK for medical purposes. Remember the photoshopped images her image launderer plastered all over the tabloid and the Social Media?

    “Diezani is over 18 years old. That makes her an adult. She dusted her passport and flew out of this country, Nigeria.

    “She had concluded plans to run off to a Caribbean Island to live off the blood money she stole, not hauled from the poorest and the most vulnerable citizens of this nation.

    “She had no idea that she had become attractive to the British authorities, and had been in their view since 2013.

    ” You see, these women, who own choice properties and obese bank accounts they do not need, across the world including Nigeria, had the best of opportunities to improve the lives of Nigerians, especially those who suffer health hazards from environmental degradation in the bowels of the Niger Delta where these two come from.

    “If they cared not about their immediate environment, why would they bat an eyelid that environmental issues in the Lake Chad Basin were fuelling Boko Haram.

    “The adage that what a man can do a woman can do better, has never been proven more by anyone than Diezani Madueke.

    “The forfeitures the Nigerian people have been awarded against Diezani, the pending and on-going corruption investigations and cases, are a testimony that this woman, who was elevated to the status of a goddess by ex-President Jonathan, has cases to answer, from UK to USA, Italy to the Caribbean.

    “Why Mrs Madueke suddenly developed an urge to return home, is not clear. But many Nigerians think it’s not unconnected to the perceived cash and carry criminal justice system in Nigeria.

    “But she’s probably not aware that the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Onnoghen, has vowed to clean up the judiciary.

    “But there might be those judges who would be tempted by the mouth watering inducement that flows from the bottomless pit of Diezani Madueke’s haulage.

    “May I remind Mrs. Madueke that a certain (Rtd) Admiral Alison-Madueke, warned President Muhammadu Buhari to leave his wife alone. May I also remind Diezani that Nigerians assume that she is that wife that the retired naval officer warned the President about.

    “Now that she has been left alone, if she needs to return to Nigeria, she will also need her husband to threaten President Buhari to come after her, Hahahahaha…

    “Dear Sis, in the meantime, you should make yourself comfortable in the UK. Attend to your criminal trials going on there. When found guilty, happily serve your jail term because it’s just the beginning.

    “Then when you are done, repeat the same process in America and then in Italy. If you are still alive by then, you should then be retired to Nigeria, to begin the same process that will ultimately lead you to your retirement home. You have a choice between Kirikiri and Kuje, among other prisons. Till then, it’s Goodbye Diezani. You aren’t coming home soon!”

     

  • Osinbajo hails creative industry

    Osinbajo hails creative industry

    The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has hailed the creativity and ingenuity of Nigerian artistes which they have deployed to project the image of the country.

    He made the commendation after watching a grand performance of the cultural troupe, Wakaa the Musical, on Monday night at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

    Osinbajo, his wife, Dolapo, Senate President Bukola Saraki and Information Minister Lai Mohammed were part of the dignitaries that watched the cultural fiesta.

    Osinbajo, who described the event as trilling said: “I have never seen anything like this before; it is absolutely incredible; this is wonderful.’’

    The producer of the theatre group and Chief Executive of Terra Culture, Mrs Bolanle Austen-Peters, while welcoming guests to the occasion said it was the group’s way of promoting creativity in the industry among Nigerian youths.

    “Art is still taking the back stage in the country but we are prepared to boost it greatly due to the diversification drive of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    “This industry is not what to be ashamed of and the youths  can really make a living out it in spite of what one studied in school.

    “We need to look at the kind of education that we give to our young people so that they can be self- employed and increase their financial status,’’ the lawyer-turned artiste added.

    On the message of Wakaa, Austen-Peters said it was a satire and a message of hope, depicting the triumph of good over evil, also of love.

    She thanked the sponsors of the event and stressed the need for the country’s industrialists and philanthropists to “put their money where the message is’’.

    Austen-Peters said that the measure was to encourage more artistes and those in the creative industry to produce higher quality of products to be displayed outside the country.

    NAN

  • Don’t blame Buhari for Nation’s infrastructure deficit – Lai Mohammed

    Don’t blame Buhari for Nation’s infrastructure deficit – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration should not be blamed for the infrastructural deficit in the country.

    The Minister stated this on Monday when he featured alongside other guests on the Nigeria Television Authority programme, “Good Morning Nigeria” which focussed on Nigeria at 57.

    Mohammed said that the administration was investing massively on roads, power, housing, Railway and other critical infrastructure, not leaving out the social well being of the citizens.

    He, however, observed that because of the level of decay and abandonment of the infrastructure by the previous administration, the efforts of government might not manifest immediately.

    Specifically, Mohammed said that the government was working on the 220-kilometre Enugu to Port Harbour express way as well as other major road networks in the South East.

    He said that work was  ongoing on the Kano to Maiduguri road and the Lagos Ibadan express way to mention but a few.

    “We do not get to the situation where we get into overnight and we should not expect to get out of it overnight

    “If you look at what the government inherited and where we are today it is clear that the government has remained focused and the solutions proferred to our challenges are working.

    “When we came in, the economy was over dependent on oil and today the recovery is being driven by agriculture, mining creative industry and manufacturing which means our diversification programme is working.

    “It has never happened in the history of the country that a government will spend N1.2 trillion in capital expenditure like the Administration did and we are seeing the positive results have helped us to get out of recession.” he said

    The Minister further explained that, “in 2015 the past administration spent only N18 billion on roads but in 2016/2017 circle this government spent N260 billion on roads and bridges.

    “The last administration spent only N5 billion on power, this administration has spent over N90 billion on power: In housing the last administration spent N8 billion while we have spent N70 billio.”

    The minister said that many contractors had been recalled to the roads projects they abandoned during the previous administration resulting in creating of over 17000 direct jobs and 15000 indirect jobs from roads.

    On power, the Minister said that when the administration came in May 2015, only 2690 megawatts was generated but today the country is generating over 7000 megawatts.

    He said inflation had been coming down, and the government had revived 12 fertiliser blending companies to boost agriculture.

    He urged Nigerians to judge the Administration in contest of what it inherited from previous Administration and where the country is today.

    On the clamour for restructuring, the Minister said that the issue has many sides and the focal point must be Constitution amendment through the National Assembly.

    “Restructuring means different thing to different people and that is why we have the debate that is going on now to collate the various ideas of Nigerians as to what restructuring means in order to know what exactly  to do.

    “To some. restructuring means going back to the former three of four regions, to some it means creation of additional states as was proposed in the 2014 Confab

    “To some, restructuring means resource control, to some it means devolution of more power to states while to some it means state police

    “Let us collate and aggregate what Nigerians mean by restructuring and of course we still need to go back to National Assembly if we want to effect any change in the constitution,” he said.

    Sen. Ahmed Lawan, the Senate Majority Leader who was also a guest on the programme said the diversification policy of the administration was yielding desired output especially in the area of agriculture.

    “It is creating wealth and generating employment and we should continue to support the government on this,” he said.

    Speaking on restructuring, the Senator noted that it was wrong for any group to result into blackmail and complaint about marginalisation to drive home any agitation.

    Another guest, Comrade Emmanuel Odafe said the clamour on marginalisation was about privileged selected few who would continue to manipulate the system and millions of Nigerians to gain undue advantage.

    “The elite of the country should stop creating problems in the country.

    “All the talks about restructuring is just about the elites positioning themselves for the 2019 elections, they do not really care about the welfare of Nigerians,”he said.

    Odafe, however, underscored the need for government to invest in infrastructure, particularly roads across the country which he described as “death trap”

    Hon. Shonibare Ololade, the Chairman, Conference of Legislative Aides on the other hands advised the government to look into power sharing and resource allocation in addressing the clamour for restructuring.

    Specifically he said the government should look into the issues of zoning of political offices, equitable distribution of resources and transition from recycling the old generation of politicians.

    NAN

  • U.S. position on IPOB, unfortunate, unacceptable – FG

    U.S. position on IPOB, unfortunate, unacceptable – FG

    The Federal Government has described as “unfortunate” and “unacceptable,” the position of the US Government over the declaration of the Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB )  as a terrorist group.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the government position Wednesday night in London when he featured on BBC Television programme, “Focus on Africa”.

    The Minister, who stressed that the Federal Government was right in declaring IPOB a terrorist organisation, noted that he could not make up with the US seemingly disagreement with the position.

    “It is very unfortunate, if countries decide to pick and choose which organisations are terrorists and which are not, bearing in mind that terrorism has no boundary.

    “I think what we should do is that every country should work together to ensure that terrorism does not thrive,” he said.

    Speaking on why the Government labelled IPOB a terrorist group, the Minister said, “the acts and utterances of IPOB were acts and utterances of terrorists”.

    “For instance, Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB leader was caught on tape, saying that they want Biafra and not peacefully, but by force.

    “He declared that if they do not get Biafra, Somalia will be a Paradise with the kind of mayhem they will unleash on Nigeria.

    “The group openly embraced arms and ammunition and the leader set up Biafra National Guard, Biafra Secret Service and openly attacked army formations”.

    When asked by the anchor of the programme, Peter Okwoche, why “other militarised group” like the Fulani herdsmen had not been classified as terrorist group, Mohammed said that “acts of criminality should not be confused with terrorism acts”.

    He explained further: “When an organisation decides to not just attack the Army but set up its own parallel government;

    “When an organisation openly solicits for arms all over the world; when an organisation starts issuing out its own passports and currency and does not recognise the democratically elected government, then it becomes a different thing”.

    The minister said that Nigeria is so fragile and an attempt to allow such excesses from IPOB to continue could attract reprisal attacks from other parts of the country and set the entire country on fire.

    The President General of the Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo, who was earlier interviewed on the programme, said that the labelling of IPOB as a terrorist group was “extremely unfair and lopsided.”

  • Nigerian initiated World Tourism Day – Lai Mohammed

    Nigerian initiated World Tourism Day – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed disclosed on Wednesday that the idea of World Tourism Day being marked globally on Sept. 27 was initiated by a Nigerian, late Ignatius Amaduwa Atigbi.

    The Minister, who is the Vice President, Africa, United Nations World Tourism Organisation ( UNWTO ) disclosed this in a statement issued in London to mark the 2017 World Tourism Day.

    He said that Atigbi was the then Secretary-General of the Nigeria Tourism Association ( NTA ), now Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation ( NTDC ), and Chairman of Africa Travel Commission (ATC).

    Mohammed said that the World Tourism Day was adopted at the 22nd General Assembly of the International Union of Official Travel Organizations (IUOTO) in 1971.

    He said that World Tourism Day “is marked annually to create awareness for tourism as a tool for economic growth and promotion of international peace and understanding.”

    According to Wikipedia, the late Atigbi “was finally recognised for his contribution in 2009 and the colour of World Tourism Day is Blue.”

    In his message to mark the day, the minister noted that “sustainability is absolutely necessary if tourism is to achieve its full potentials, which include being a catalyst for economic growth and poverty eradication”.

    He stressed that without sustainability tourism could not generate benefits to all stakeholders, solve serious problems such as extreme poverty.

    According to him, it cannot also ensure the preservation of  precious natural and man-made resources on which human prosperity is based.

    Referring to the theme of this year’s World Tourism Day – ‘Sustainable Tourism – Tool for Development’, he charged member states of UNWTO to ensure that their policies for tourism development fully embraced the principles of sustainability.

    ”The sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established among these three dimensions,” he said.

    The minister underscored the power and potential of tourism to help eradicate poverty.

    “Today, tourism generates 10 per cent of the world’s GDP, one in every 10 jobs, and 30 per cent of world trade in services. It is key to many countries’ economies and livelihoods.

    “It has evolved from an industry engaged in and patronised only by the rich and elites of the society to an industry enjoyed by all with significant impact on the nation’s economy.

    “As an invisible export, tourism creates a flow of foreign currency into the economy of a nation through public revenue which comes in the form of taxes, duties, licenses.

    “Business revenue derived from services provided by restaurants, hotels, transport, shops etc and from local resident revenue which come in the form of wages, salaries, rent, interests in investments,” he said.

    The minister assured that the Federal Government would continue to play its part in the development and management of tourism and in making it more sustainable.

    He, however, noted that the real key to making Nigeria’s tourism industry flourish laid with the industry itself and the businesses and organisations at its heart.

    “Governments use a number of mechanisms to encourage greater private-sector engagement, capturing its expertise in ways that will be beneficial to the companies themselves as well as population.

    “The private sector on the other hand has an opportunity to work collaboratively with government to yield unprecedented returns in both economic and human capital,” he said.

    Mohammed said that sustainable tourism required the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building.

  • Era of ‘godfatherism’ over – Lai Mohammed

    Era of ‘godfatherism’ over – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that as far as Federal Government appointments to public offices and key positions are concerned, the era of “godfatherism’’ is over.

    The minister stated this in Abuja on Sunday at a thanksgiving reception by the newly appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Culture, Ms Grace Gekpe.

    Mohammed, who was represented by Mr Bayo Onanuga, the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), stated that appointment to positions in the Federal Government “is strictly by merit’’.

    “Gone are those days when people were appointed into positions by other factors apart from merit.

    “Most of us must have heard that the new permanent secretaries were asked to write examination; Gekpe was one of the very few that scaled through the examination.

    Gekpe is a shining and beautiful woman. That could have earned her the appointment, but not under this regime of Change.

    “She is a permanent secretary by virtue of hard work, merit and because she has a lot of things to offer,’’ he said.

    The minister said that the ministry was proud of Gekpe, satisfied with her appointment and wished her all the best.

    Mohammed underscored the need for improved funding for the Ministry of Information and Culture and its parastatal agencies.

    “The Ministry of Information and Culture has a very big responsibility and there is the need for sufficient funding for it and its agencies.

    “The government is doing a lot of things, but it is being misrepresented by naysayers.

    “This is the time that the government needed to raise an army of competent information managers to counter the false and negative narratives about the administration,’’ he said.

    He also underscored the need for upward review of the retirement age of journalists working in the Ministry of Information.

    “They are like judges and university professors; like old wine, they get better with age,’’ he added.

    The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, said the position of permanent secretary “is the highest level any civil servant can dream to reach in the public service’’.

    She enjoined Gekpe to present her life and tenure to God for wisdom and guidance and as well show understanding and loyalty to her minister and the administration.

    Oyo-Ita said: “She is called to serve the nation and in doing this, she should face her duties with dignity, integrity and understanding that this is a government of change, it cannot be business as usual.

    “She has to be an epitome of incorruptibility, she should be efficient, productive, and be a citizen centred- permanent secretary’’.

    In a brief remark, Gekpe said her appointment was a call to serve the country.

    She pledged to discharge her responsibilities with the fear of God and in support of the government’s programmes.

    “I will put in my best to assist my immediate boss, the minister, and the government at large to achieve the agenda set for the country,’’ she said.

    NAN reports that a thanksgiving service was held at the Living Faith Church, Jahi District, before the reception.

    The event was attended by heads of parastatals and agencies in the Ministry of Information and Culture and representatives of the Government of Cross River.

  • Lai Mohammed must tone down effusions

    Lai Mohammed must tone down effusions

    THE Information minister, Lai Mohammed, must have heard it said repeatedly that he has not quite successfully and completely transited from opposition party spokesman to ruling party and government spokesman. He was highly effective in the former; but in the latter position, he has only managed to bring the amenities of his previous position to bear. Can he change to an effective government spokesman? It will depend on whether he sees a difference between the role he played before and the one expected of him now. There is nothing to indicate that he sees that difference nor appreciates that the informational amenities he was used to, which brought him some renown, must and can be modified.

    In addressing the current agitations in the Southeast, particularly the activities of IPOB, the Information minister was thoroughly and grandiloquently propagandist. It is tragic he sees everyone who disagrees with the methods, style and objectives of the Buhari presidency as working to bring that government down. Hear him on the agitations in the Southeast: “IPOB is nothing but a contraption by those who believe they have lost political power as well as the right to loot our treasury. It is a tool in the hands of the corrupt and disgruntled elements to sabotage the Buhari administration. It fights for no one, but the corrupt and the disgruntled. It seeks to set us apart as a people, exploiting our fault lines. Its modus operandi is to trigger conflagration nationwide through attacks and reprisals.”

    Not satisfied that he had rashly attributed IPOB’s activities to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a corporate organisation, almost in the same eerie manner the PDP as a ruling party labelled the APC as a subversive organisation before 2015, he went on to make other wild assumptions. “There is no doubt that the wounds inflicted on the nation’s psyche by the activities of IPOB will take some time to heal,” he began melancholically. “But, while that happens, Nigerians must understand that IPOB was not set up to fight for the right of anyone or group, but as a tool to destabilise the nation, divert attention from the efforts of the Buhari administration and obliterate the laudable achievements of the Administration. IPOB is being sponsored by those I will call the Coalition of the Politically Disgruntled and the Treasury Looters. They believe that by sponsoring this group to destabilise the country and trigger chaos, they will realise their ambition of escaping justice and then be free to dip their hands into the nation’s treasury again.”

    Anxious that Alhaji Mohammed was directly accusing them of promoting rebellion, the opposition PDP asked him to name names and shame the offenders. The Information minister, however, suggested a few days later that it was needless naming anyone. He wouldn’t attempt it, he said dismissively. So why level criticisms when he knew he would not substantiate? Of course because he knows Nigerians well, and understands that the weight and pertinacity of government would make whatever accusations they hurl, no matter how reckless, stick. Having enjoyed hearing the sound of his own voice in the past few years and luxuriated in the glory of public approbation in recent weeks, he will indulge in many more such effusions before their time in Abuja is over.

  • Why FG declared IPOB a terror group – Lai Mohammed

    Why FG declared IPOB a terror group – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday explained why the Federal Government declared the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) a terrorist group.

    Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, Mohammed said the group led by Nnamdi Kanu had been using cutlasses and other weapons to terrorize Nigerians.

    According to him, the group has also been getting financial support from some quarters to destabilize the country.

    He said: “I think anybody who has watched Nnamdi Kanu’s videos anywhere he goes, he openly solicits for arms and funds. I have a lot of quotations from him as to the violence intention of IPOB. In one of his videos, he said if he is arrested his boys should burn down the country. The same Kanu went on television a few days ago saying he was sleeping at about 4:30 p.m. in his house in Umuahia and then some solders were making noises and disturbing his sleep. Therefore, his boys stopped them.

    “Which country in the world would tolerate this? Unfortunately Nigerians have short memories at times, or we tend to be very mischievous because this thing is being turned into oh the North is persecuting the South East or Muslims persecuting Christians and we have forgotten that in 1983 there was a group called Maitatsine in Kano. They were crushed by Shagari’s government and they were Muslims and northerners.

    “When they relocated to Burukutu they were again crushed by Shagari. When Buhari became Head of State, the same Maitatsine raised their head, he chased them far into the Chad Republic and I remember that time he was accused by America of trying to expand Gaddafi’s agenda.

    “Abacha in his own time dealt also with Maitatsine and he was a Muslim. President Yar ‘Adua in 2010 was on his way to the airport when he got a report about Boko Haram, he sent army to go and destroy them. These were Muslims from the north dealing with essentially Islamic insurgencies.

    “Anything about insurgence or terrorists act you don’t think about religion, you don’t think about ethnicity, you think about the unity of the country.”

     

  • Govt to block IPOB funding sources

    Govt to block IPOB funding sources

    The Federal Government says it is aware of the sources of funding of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and is taking steps to block them.

    Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed disclosed yesterday when he appeared on a live TV programme “Good Morning Nigeria”, on the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).

    “Terrorists do not publish where their funding are coming from. But we know the countries that are supporting IPOB.

    “We know the sources of their funding, though I am not at liberty to disclose them here.

    “We are taking steps to block them and we are also taking a lot of diplomatic actions in respect of the countries that are supporting them.”

    The minister said that most of the countries supporting the group were doing so based on ignorance, hoodwinked to believing that “Nigeria is a country where Muslims persecute Christians” and a country where there is genocide.

    “As we speak today, IPOB has written letters to many governments outside Nigeria, international parliaments sending fake and cloned videos, claiming there is genocide in Nigeria.

    The minister charged the international community not to adopt double standard in dealing with IPOB and to be more diligent before making any pronouncements.

    He said what the countries would never accept in their territories, should not be condoned or encouraged in Nigeria.

    The minister justified the actions of the military for declaring IPOB a terrorist group as well as its proscription by the South-East governors.

    “There are a lot of arguments regarding the constitutionality of the action of the military and the South East governors.

    “People must realise that we are dealing with issue of national security and I do not think that the military and the governors should fold their arms while the country is set ablaze.

    “I have heard a lot of comments as to whether the military has the right to declare IPOB, a terrorist group.

    “What the military has done is to catalogue all the activities of IPOB, which are not different from that of terrorists groups,” he said.

    Mohammed said IPOB set up a para-military organisation, a parallel military group, Biafra Secret Service and Biafra National Guard.

    He said the group was attacking army installations and soldiers at check points, extorting money from innocent people.

    “IPOB activities are not jokes. If there have not been the proactive actions on the part of the military and the Southeast governors, there would have been retaliations from other regions and the entire country will be set on fire.

    “We cannot be talking of semantics or procedure when the nation is moving towards crises and precipices.

    It is only in a Banana Republic that you can see non-state actors doing what IPOB is doing.

    “The actions by the military and the governors should be seen from the perspective of ensuring internal security and averting chaos,” he said.

    The minister reiterated his position that IPOB was being sponsored by the association of disgruntled politicians and treasury looters to discredit President Muhammadu Buhari”s Administration.

    He admonished the media and opinion leaders to be circumspect in their publications and discussions on IPOB in order not to aggravate the crises the more.

    “The kind of comments and headlines in the media as well as comments from certain quarters are the types that give oxygen and confidence to the IPOB.

    “They must exercise restraint because the only reason we practice our profession or be a commentator is simply because there is peace in the country,” Muhammed said.