Minister Seeks Media’s Support For War Against Terrorism

THE Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has urged the media to galvanise support among the populace for the war on terrorism, which he described as a major challenge facing the nation. ‘

Mohammed made the appeal when he met representatives of media professional bodies in Abuja yesterday.

“The war against terrorism is not a war for the military alone but for all Nigerians. The media must reflect this in their reporting and galvanise the people to know that it is not just a battle against a few insurgents but a war for the very survival of our nation,” he said.

He said it is important for the media to report the fact that the military has turned the tide against the insurgents and degraded their ability to carry out spectacular attacks and retake captured territories.

According to him, this has paved the way “for displaced persons to gradually return to their homes, for schools that have been destroyed to be rebuilt and for pupils who could not go to school to do so.”

Mohammed also stressed the need for the media “not to remain on the fence” over the issue of national unity.

“Apart from the challenge of terrorism, there is also the issue of national unity. If anything, we have taken our unity for granted and have not made a conscious and concerted effort to constantly service and strengthen it.

“Unfortunately, what started as a crack is now widening into a gorge. The media must not remain on the fence when the issue of our national unity is involved. They must carry out their duties in such a way that will unite, rather than divide our people. Our unity is fragile, and the fragility comes into the open at a time of economic downturn as we have now. We cannot afford to be neutral on the issue of national unity,” he said.