10th October, 2021
Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, said Nigerians have the right to criticize the Muhammadu Buhari-led government but should desist from de-marketing Nigeria.
The minister made the statement when he was featured at a special forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.
He said it’s unfortunate that many Nigerians want the country to disintegrate.
Lai Mohammed said: “We have challenges just like any other country in the world but we are going to overcome.
“Some countries have not even experienced half of what we are going through before they collapsed but everybody must do his bit.
“It is unfortunate today that many people are waiting for the country to disintegrate and many of them are disappointed that we are still standing on our feet.
According to him, Nigeria will continue to wax stronger because these detractors and vocal naysayers are in the minority,’’ he said.
He charged every Nigerian to take ownership of the country and ensure that it is not plunged into war.
Mohammed said that Nigerians should resist the temptation of some selfish elites campaigning that Nigeria was better divided.
“It is because there is a country called Nigeria that is why there are journalists, professors, doctors and what have you.
“If you know what happened during the Liberian war, professors were working in bakeries in Lagos just to survive.
“When you look at some write-ups in our newspapers and social media, you begin to wonder whether the writers are patriots.
“If you don’t live in Nigeria and you are reading what they are writing, you will think that every part of Nigeria is at war.
“We are not saying don’t criticize the government, you are at liberty to do so. However, stop de-marketing Nigeria. Stop setting one ethnic group or religion against the other and dare to be honest and forthright,’’ he advised.
“Nigerians must take possession of their country because if they did not build it, nobody would fix it for them.”