Information Minister,Alhaji Lai Mohammed, advocates support for military on war against terror

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed (Alhaji) has called on Nigerians to give total support to the military in its efforts to consolidate the great achievements recorded in the fight against Boko Haram. The Minister made the call on Monday February 15, 2016 at the launch of a private news magazine (SI Magazine) in Abuja.

The Minister averred that many Nigerian troops have paid the supreme price in liberating communities hitherto held by the terrorists, to the extent that no community today is exclusively in the hands of Boko Haram. According to him, they may be operating in one or two areas, but they are doing so from a position of weakness, unlike in the past when they brazenly took over territories, hoisted their flags, deposed and imposed emirs and even collected taxes.
”We owe it a duty to support our gallant military, not to condemn or second guess them,” he said.

The Minister commended the magazine for featuring in its launch edition the details of the reconstruction, resettlement and rehabilitation efforts being undertaken by the Federal and State governments in the North-East, especially in Borno State, saying that in reporting the developments, SI Magazine is contributing its own quota to the efforts to consolidate the peace in the North-East.

He also lauded the founder of the magazine, Khadijah Abdullahi-Iya for her innovation and creativity and solicited support for her enterprise.

”I am glad to say that Hajiya Khadijah and her team, who conceived the idea of the magazine we are launching today have already keyed into the Government’s Change Agenda. Coming up with such an innovative magazine, the type of which I am sure we have not seen in these parts is a sure way to keep our people better informed and educated, not just about the activities of Government, but also about our country, its plurality in terms of people, language and culture as well as richness in human and natural resources,” he stated.

”The uniqueness of SI Magazine lies in the fact that it has leveraged technology to the hilt, thereby separating itself from the pack. The magazine packs a punch as it uses a multi-media format to bring its stories to the readers. Videos, audios, pictures, podcasts, texts are all employed to ensure that the reader does not miss the messages contained in any edition. Then, the authors went beyond the stories that grab headlines to bring out from the grassroots the stories that are easily forgotten in the rush to chronicle the emergent events of the times.”

In his remarks at the occasion, the Chairman of SI Magazine and a popular columnist, Mohammed Haruna said that the magazine is set to bring to the fore unreported issues like the suffering of women and children in the Internally Displaced Persons’ Camps across the country and efforts being made to rebuild communities destroyed by Boko Haram.

Mohammed Haruna added that the magazine is leveraging on technology to zoom its lenses on the value system and promote the nation’s cultural heritage.