The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that the United States Of America (USA) should come to Nigeria to learn how to combat insurgency.
According to Mohammed, Nigeria has been able to combat Boko Haram and other terrorist elements, while avoiding the situation currently unfolding in Afghanistan where the Taliban, a terrorist group, took over power.
The minister stated this in Washington DC during his engagements with international media organisations, including the BBC Radio and Television, Bloomberg and Politico.
Mohammed is currently in the United States to meet with international media organisations and think tanks to discuss the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and efforts made so far in tackling insurgency, banditry and all forms of criminality in Nigeria.
According to the minister, Nigeria is not in the league of failed states and can never experience the situation rocking Afghanistan.
Nigeria is currently battling Boko Haram and ISWAP, both are terrorist organizations based in northeastern Nigeria and are also active in parts of Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon. The terrorist groups have perpetrated many abductions and killings including the abductions of Chibok, Dapchi, girls among others.
Speaking with international media, the minister stated that the Buhari administration is winning the war against insurgency without the intervention of US military.
In Mohammed’s words, “Nigeria is not and will not be a failed state. Yes, we have challenges in some corners of the country but that has not made Nigeria a failed state.
“A failed state is one where basic facilities are not available and everything has broken down, but Nigeria is not in that stage.
“If what happened in Afghanistan is something to go by, then the federal government should be given kudos for the way it has handled insurgency in the last couple of years.
“The lessons from Afghanistan today is that for over 20 years of American intervention and over a trillion dollars spent and thousands of American lives lost, it took the Taliban just a few weeks to recapture Afghanistan.
“This should be a lesson for everybody that when you are fighting an insurgency or movement driven by ideology, it is always difficult to overcome and you must be resourceful, deploying both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches.
“When people were saying we should invite mercenaries, the president was focused and maintained that our military have what it takes.
“The President should be given kudos for believing in our military and deploying both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches,’’ he added.
Recall following the withdrawal of American troops, the Taliban had captured all cities and towns in Afghanistan. On Sunday, the Islamic sect ramped up its massive gains in weeks by capturing Afghan capital, Kabul.
