BEVERLY HILLS, January 26, (THEWILL) – Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, has revealed that the Federal Government will not be intimidated to abandon or weaken its fight against corruption, despite that the vice is now fighting back hard and dirty.
“No amount of media or other attacks will stop the fight. The pseudo-analysts and hack writers will labour in vain in their quest to stop the train of this anti-corruption fight,” he said at a meeting with Abuja bureau chiefs on Tuesday.
“When I met with the news and political editors in Lagos on Sunday, I said, among other things, that the government is aware that in fighting corruption, corruption will also fight back. I also said that those who stole us dry are powerful.
“They have newspapers, radio and television stations as well as online platforms, and an army of supporters to continuously deride the government’s war against corruption.
“Well, I can tell you today that corruption is already fighting back, and it is fighting hard and dirty. Sponsored articles have started appearing in the newspapers and in the social media, while ‘Talking Heads’ have started making the rounds in the electronic media, all deriding the fight against corruption as well as this administration.
“Not stopping there, they have been creating distractions by sponsoring articles in both local and international media to deride the administration’s policies generally, tag the president a budding dictator and even write off his 2016 budget.
“We know that the sole purpose of these attacks is to distract attention from the war on corruption. It is saddening that some otherwise credible voices have unwittingly allowed themselves to be railroaded into the bandwagon of pro-corruption orchestra.
“One of those who benefited from the ‘Dasukigate’ had the temerity to deride the anti-corruption war as ‘selective’, when in saner climes, he should have been so ashamed of himself that he would have apologized to the nation and hunkered down for good.
The minister also called on Nigerians not to be swayed by the antics of the sponsored denunciation of the anti-graft war, and charged the press to continually educate and inform Nigerians about the evils of corruption.
“But we have no doubt that Nigerians are discerning enough to know the truth which, in the words of President Muhammadu Buhari, is that unless Nigeria kills corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria,” he added.
“Let me restate, for emphasis, that when we give instances of mind-boggling acts of corruption, our intention is not to vilify anyone but to sensitize Nigerians as to how harmful corruption is to the country and the people. The truth is that what we have revealed so far is nothing but the tip of the iceberg. Nigerians should stay tuned for more shocking revelations in the days ahead.”
Story by David Oputah
