Amid general outcry over the worsening insecurity in Nigeria, the country’s information minister, Lai Mohammed, says nothing new about the security situation and other crises Nigerians are facing.

Mr Mohammed said, “That we have ethnicity issues is not new. IPOB, Boko Haram, and farmer-herders clashes are not new.”

He also suggested that despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime’s claim that it has everything under control, the APC-controlled government had not found solutions to the crises.

“All we must do is to look for the way forward,” he acknowledged.

Speaking further, he noted, “We were moved by security issues around the country and called for a meeting of all relevant stakeholders on April 8, in Kaduna.

“We are aware of them. The government is working.”

He, however, advised Nigerians not to accept the idea of secession.

“Secession is not the way out of our challenges. You don’t cure (a) headache by beheading the patient. The things that unite us in Nigeria are more than what separate us,” Mr Mohammade argued.

The chief propaganda officer of the country, who spoke on Sunday during a Bond FM programme, ‘Ibi Abasede,’ added that the recommendations of the April 8 meeting would be presented to the Federal Executive Council and governors on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

The minister pointed out that what united Nigeria was more important than those issues threatening its continued existence.

He added that the meeting also recommended decentralisation, restructuring, and reorganisation of the judiciary, training, and retraining of judges.

“We cannot do these without constitutional amendment,” he said.

He added, “The stakeholders also recommended that security operatives be equipped with modern equipment to boost efficiency necessary to win the trust and confidence of the people.”

Mr Mohammed also advised religious and traditional leaders to kick against secession.

“Those who support separation and secession will be the first to run away when any problem starts. We should not listen to them as many of them have about four passports of other countries,” the minister explained.

He added that the stakeholders recommended state Police and the need for the National Assembly and state assemblies to support it “because all security is local.”

“The stakeholders also recommended the establishment of ranches and grazing reserves with necessary amenities such as water, education, and healthcare facilities for humans and livestock,” he added.

(NAN)