…Blasts Ndume for Not Appreciating FG Efforts, Attacking the Minister
Arewa Forum for Good Governance has come out to defend the media statement credited to Minister of Information, Alhaji Mohammed Idris over the insecurity situation in Borno State after the recent Boko Haram attack in Damboa.
According to the group, the information Minister couldn’t have been ignorant or naive to speak flippantly about the loss of lives of the citizens in Maiduguri with levity.
The Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum had criticised the the Minister he described as “naive” about the country’s security realities following a deadly Boko Haram attack on the Damboa-Maiduguri Road that left eight people dead , seven others injured, and 14 with minor injuries.
In a reaction to the Governor Zulum ‘s statement, Arewa Forum for Good Governance in a statement signed by the Secretary, Comrade Yushau Mahmood disclosed ,”The Minister of Information was not only misquoted by the media, but also misconstrued by Governor Zulum,who faulted the minister’s remarks based on media report and not position of the government about the incident
The statement further reads :”Governor Zulum reacted to the media report which quoted the information Minister to have said “Ignore Zulum, Boko Haram is not taking over Borno.”
“And we have investigated and discovered that such a headline was not only sensational but deliberately crafted as a deliberate act of misinformation to distract the public from the serious work the Federal Government is doing to address security challenges.
“We have known Zulum to be one Governor that has always being passionate and committed about providing security and dividends of democracy for the good people of Borno,but we are worried about his recent reactions to the media headlines.
“There is no doubt that current wave of insecurity in the North needs serious attention, however ,there is a need for Borno Government and federal Government to work together to provide permanent solutions and not fault finding.
Most worrisome is the unnecessary statements of Senator Ali Ndume on the attack . We are surprised that Senator Ndume, a former Chairman ,House Committee on Army,who is expected to more knowledgeable about efforts put in to contain the security challenges in Borno and other past of the North in last twenty months could come out to criticise the Minister of Information , claiming he dismissed warnings from the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, about the resurgence of insurgency in the state.
For us ,as the voice of good governance in the North attributing a title such as ,” Minister of Misinformation” to a hardworking Minister like Mohammed Idris speaks volumes about him as a man with low character.
Middle-Belt Times 