Please, stop mocking Buhari’s corruption war, Minister Lai begs journalists

The government of Nigeria has urged all media platforms in the country to desist from making mockery of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption fight.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made this plea on Monday in Abuja during the opening of the 68th General Assembly of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria.

According to him, while the media has the freedom to criticise the government, it is not right for it to be mocking the policies of the Federal Government.

He cautioned against media usage of headlines as, “Buhari’s government losing anti -corruption war”; “Buhari’s anti – corruption war is failing”; “Arewa Youths knock President Buhari over failing anti – corruption war,” describing them as mockery.

He noted that the war against corruption has been the toughest of all the three broad issues the All Progressives Congress (APC) assured Nigerians it will tackle during its campaign ahead the conduct of the 2015 general elections.

The other two cardinal points APC promised to tackle was revamping of the economy and insecurity.

But speaking at the event themed “The Media and the fight against corruption,” the minister said that rather than mock the anti-graft war of the current administration, that the media should join hands with the government to eradicate corruption in the country.

“Without mincing words, let me use this platform to appeal directly to the media in general to join this administration in facing down the problem of corruption.

“As we have said times without number, this fight must not be seen as Buhari’s fight. It must not be seen as the Federal Government’ s fight. It is our fight.

“If we fail to win by defeating corruption, it will simply kill us as a nation.

“This appeal to the media to join us in the fight against corruption is borne out of the fact that the Fourth Estate of the Realm cannot afford to sit on the fence as far as this fight is concerned.

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“We are not saying the media should not criticise us over our strategy against the fight, but they should stop mocking us.

“In recent times , it is not unusual to read such headlines as ‘Buhari’s government losing anti -corruption war;’ ‘Buhari’s anti – corruption war is failing’; ‘Arewa Youths knock President Buhari over failing anti – corruption war,’ etc.

“This is sheer mockery, not reporting! And this war is not Buhari’s war . It is our war.”

 

 

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