Minister of Information, Alhaji Layi Muhammed, is, undoubtedly, hot and steaming on delivery of his service or function. A spokesman, who knows his onion and a good manipulator of words to do his bidding of making people in the other camp look stupid. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) cannot forget him in a hurry. He did not only dazed the PDP, but also succeeded in putting to lie all PDP’s stunts to secure a second term for Goodluck Jonathan. To all intents and purposes, Muhammed was a superb opposition party’s spokesman, but a lack luster, below average information minister.
He is a major campaigner against fake news, but most of what comes out of his office are opposite of truth. Remember his defence of Lekki Toll Gate massacre and his threat to sanction the Cable News Network (CNN) over the international broadcast medium’s report on the ENDSARS protest.
That is still in air. Despite that most discerning members of the public now take whatever comes out of the minister with a pinch of salt, he is never tired of entertaining the people with tissues of white lies, not just lies, painting lurid of sterling performance of his principal, President Muhammadu Buhari as the president is racing on the path of glory to deliver a security- thwarted dividend of democracy to his constituents across the country.
Alhaji Muhammed is less concerned about what people may be thinking or believe. He is convinced that if a lie is frequently repeated, it would be taken as truth. How else would one explain Minister Layi telling the country that security in Nigeria today is far better than what it was before President Buhari took over power in 2015.
Alhaji Muhammed is blowing the trumpet of the sterling performance of Mr. President on health, security delivery and even the economy that has rebounded with increased Gross National Product (GNP). Thus providing an unprecedented higher standard of living for Nigerians with availability of jobs to the unemployed. This has largely reduced the rate of crime and criminality in the country.
The insurgency in the North-East has not only been scorched, but beheaded as the federal troops have over-run and taken over Sambisa Forest, the accomplishment is far beyond the technical defeat recorded by Buhari administration after taking over power in 2015 from Dr. Ebele Goodluck Jonathan.
Minister Layi, it is surprising that you are now calling on people to compare the level of insecurity before 2015 to your so-called water-tight security that Buhari has now delivered. The country is so peaceful that not only is the economy fast growing, deluged with foreign investment, but commerce is another beneficiary of the peaceful atmosphere that has enveloped the country. Banditry has been reigned and kept at bay, while killer herdsmen are now living peacefully with their farmers neigbours.
I, however, wish to tell the minister that he does not need to compare the 2015 state of insecurity in the country with what it is in place now. It is lazy way of pampering self despite the failure of the Buhari government to secure the country. Remember sir, that Nigerians voted Buhari in 2015 because the performance of Jonathan was unacceptable to them.
If Buhari could not do better than Jonathan on security and in other spheres of life, he has no reason to be in power.
The minister should allow Nigerians to assess and compare the performance(s) of the two. As the name of the Minister Layi, those who bear that name don’t tell lie, ‘Layi no dey lie’ and our minister can’t be different. People of Sokoto, Kebi, Sanfara, Niger, Benue, Borno and Nasarawa among others in the North would undoubtedly disagree with Minister Layi’s commendation of Mr. President. Banditry in the North-West, North-Central and insurgency still ravaging North-East.
The clash of Chief Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a. Sunday Igboho with herdsmen kidnappers and their collaborations at Igangan in Oyo State was an indicator that the sovereignty of Nigeria is under intense threat. Major highways in the South-West are no longer safe as herdsmen grow bolder in Ondo State. So Minister Layi, where is the security? He should know that 2015 was about 6 years ago. The present administration in its second term has no excuse, yes no tenable excuse for the state of insecurity in the country?
New security chiefs? Yes O! May be all the praises showered on Mr. President by the minister was way of hinting the people that Buhari has yielded to the call that the immediate past service chiefs should go. So no thanks to Minister Layi.
– Tajudeen Adigun
