The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mallam Mohammed Idris has said that President Bola Tinubu remains calm despite threats by the United States President Donald Trump over the security situation in Nigeria.
In an interview shortly after meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the minister said that the President continues to be committed to efforts at making Nigeria safer for all Nigerians, irrespective of tribes, religions or any kind of differences.
Idris said: ‘Mr President is calm. He is looking at the whole situation; he is looking at the ways and means of ensuring that the international community understands what we have been doing.
‘Only last week or two weeks ago, Mr. President, in his own desire to rekindle the security architecture of the country, reinvigorated the hierarchy of the armed forces. A new Chief of Defence Staff and other service chiefs were appointed. Now, this is all the ssues that came out of the United States. So, that tells you that Mr. President has been working assiduously to ensure that Nigeria is a country that remains safer for all Nigerians to live in.
‘We are looking at all the issues, and we don’t want to overheat the discussions. But work is ongoing, and we have also opened channels of communication so that the international community will understand what Nigeria has been doing better, and also what we intend to further do to ensure that whatever concerns that there are, either domestically here or from the international community are answered’.
On what to further do to douse tension among the religious groups in the country, the minister said that the administration continue to engage religious leaders.
He also dismissed claims that the Nigerian government is supporting violent attacks against a particular religion in the country.
‘It’s a multiple approach, discussion with the leadership of the religious groups is an ongoing effort. Mr. President has been meeting with them, and of course, he will continue to do that.
“They are all Nigerians, and he is leading them. So, they are important stakeholders in the Nigerian project. Yes, Mr. President will continue to engage with them. Mr. President will continue to engage with the international community, not just the United States.
“Everyone; the regional bodies, the continental bodies, and everyone that we think has a role to play in ensuring that Nigeria succeeds in ridding this country of these criminal elements that are helping the world to drive this narrative so that Nigeria will have a very bad name.
‘We know that this is not who are as a country. For us to be characterized as a country that is not tolerant when it comes to religion, is not accurate. This is absolutely false. Nigeria has Muslims and Christians, and even those who do not believe in any of these religions. Our constitution guarantees that everyone should practice his faith without ledge or hinderance and mister president is going to respect that to the letter.
‘We have these security challenges, but no where has there been any decision to favour one religion or the other, or to inflict violence over one religion. What has happened is that we have these extremists that are driving this narrative, and the desired outcome for them is to see that this country is divided.
‘We want to caution Nigerians to look deeper. This is a time for us to reflect on our nationhood, to reflect on our unity, and come together.
“This is not the time for division, it is not a time for rhetoric, it is not a time for politics. It is a time for nation building, it is a time we are calling on everyone to come together so that we can continue to have the Nigeria of our dream.
‘Mr. President is calm, he is taking this of course very seriously. all those that should look at these issues are looking at them with all the responsibility and depth that they require so that at the end of the day we will come out of this. we believe that will come out of this very strongly’, Idris further said
