October 18, (THEWILL) – The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Monday said he will respond to allegations levelled against him by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq when he deems it fit.
The Minister made the remarks during a phone-in programme on TV Continental.
Governor AbdulRazaq had in an exclusive interview with a national newspaper published on Monday alleged that Mohammed dehumanised him during the 2019 governorship campaign in the state.
He also alleged that the Minister failed to remit some funds raised for the campaign.
Responding to a question from the anchor of the progrmme on the allegations and the crisis in the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state, the minister said “at the fullest of time’’ he would give his response.
“I read the article and I also read the response of some people. I believe that issues of national importance I have come here to discuss are more important than the personal disagreement between me and the governor.
“At the appropriate time and forum, I will respond to the false allegations”, he said.
The minister also declined to respond to questions on the parallel congresses held by the APC in some states.
According to him, the party executives appointed or elected as spokespersons and other officers are in better position to respond to such issues.
“As a federal minister, I am not supposed to be partisan in the discharge of my duties, whether on intra-party or inter-party matters”, he said.
The Minister also disclosed that the Federal Government has taken delivery of the final batch of the 12 A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets from the United States.
“All the 12 Super Tucano fighter jets have been received. As at this morning, all the 12 were here and they have been deployed to the North-East.
“We can see that the Tucano jets are actually game changer. Most of the successes we have recorded in recent time is because of the acquisition of the new platforms, not limited to the super Tucano”, he said.
Mohammed said, with the recent notable successes recorded by the military on insecurity, he was amused by a story on Monday that the Nigerian Air Force paid N20 million to bribe bandits so that they would not bring down the president’s aircraft.
“Fortunately, the Air Force immediately debunked this because this exposes their ignorance.
“Between Zamfara, Katsina, parts of Kaduna and Niger states, there are about 150 bandit camps. Who then was the money given to?
“It does not make any sense and it is because they do not understand how bandits operate that is why they can peddle that kind of fake news”, he said.
Mohammed however said that with the improved security situation in the North-East and North-Central Zones the nation would experience improved food security.
“If you observe what is happening of recent, you can see heightened activities in the agricultural area.
“This is because of the superior fire power of the military which is now making it possible for people to go to their farms, especially in the North East. They have been able to put the criminals at bay,” he said.
About the Author
