Insecurity Does Not Make Nigeria A Failed State: Lai Mohammed

Lai: Insecurity Does Not Make Nigeria A Failed State
Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has expressed that Nigeria cannot be categorised as a failed state despite the insecurity in the country.

The minister pointed out that it is “preposterous” for anyone to declare Nigeria a failed state on the basis of its security challenges.

Mohammed reportedly spoke on Thursday in response to a recent article published by the US Council on Foreign Affairs (CFA).

In the article, it was said that “Nigeria is at a point of no return with all the signs of a failed nation.”

The minister, however, said the position of the CFA does not represent an official US policy.

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“This declaration is merely the opinions of two persons, former US ambassador to Nigeria and a senior fellow at the council on foreign relations, John Campbell, and the president emeritus of World Peace Foundation, Robert Rotberg,” he said.

“Declaring any nation a failed state is not done at the whims and caprices of one or two persons, no matter their status.

“Just because Nigeria is facing security challenges, which we have acknowledged and which we are tackling, does not automatically make the country a failed state.

“Yes, the council on foreign relations is a prominent US public policy think tank, but its opinion is not that of the U.S.

“Like former US senator, Daniel Moynihan said, “you are entitled to your opinion but not your facts.

“Yes, the non-state actors may be rampaging in some parts of the country, they have not and cannot overwhelm this government,’’ he said.

“We were even once told that Nigeria would break up in 2015. But their doomsday predictions have all failed and will fail again,” he added.