Insecurity triggers call for secession – Lai Mohammed

Etim Ekpimah

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that the insecurity in the country is responsible for the rising call for secession and politicization of ethnic and religious differences.

Speaking during his opening remarks at the town hall meeting on national security in Kaduna, on Thursday, April 8, Mohammed added that the insecurity poses a dangerous threat to the unity of Nigeria.

“Ominously, the general state of insecurity, as reflected in incidences of farmers/herders clashes, Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, ethno-religious clashes and intolerance, cultism, drug addiction and kidnapping for ransom, are now triggering rising call for secession as well as politicization of ethnic and religious differences.

“Bluntly put, the insecurity and its manifestations pose a dangerous threat to the unity of the country and its continued existence as one indivisible nation,” he said.

The minister who asked how Nigeria got to its present insecurity dilemma, posited that to solve the problems, the country needs teamwork, reflects all diversities and leverages on all its collective creativity to pursue with diligence the project of rescuing Nigeria.

He said: “Perhaps the correct starting point towards addressing this myriad of problems is the building of an “elite consensus” on the security, unity, indissolubility and peaceful existence of Nigeria. Such elite consensus had worked in the past. Can we make it work now and proffer solutions to stave off the threats to our unity as a nation?

“This is why we have decided to bring all critical stakeholders together, under a Town Hall meeting setting, to deliberate on the issues and possibly reach a consensus on the way forward. We expect this Town Hall meeting to develop concrete, implementable resolutions, because a lot of talks and postulations had taken place with little or no requisite outcome.

“We have no doubt that with the seriousness of the issues involved, the expected contributions of a wide range of stakeholders and the quality of our panellists, including the Lead Presenter, Prof. Jubrin Ibrahim, and our Discussants – Mrs Ibukun Awosika, Prof. Chudi Uwazuruike (both of whom will join us virtually), Prof Saka Nuru and Prof (Mrs) Kokunre A. Eghafona – this Town Hall Meeting will go a long way in proffering solutions to what has now become an existential crisis,” he said.

The theme of the town hall meeting is: “Setting Benchmarks for Enhanced Security and National Unity in Nigeria.”