Lai: Insecurity does not make Nigeria a failed state

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says Nigeria cannot be categorised as a failed state.

The minister said it is “preposterous” for anyone to declare Nigeria a failed state on the basis of its security challenges.

According to NAN, Mohammed spoke on Thursday in response to a recent article published by the US Council on Foreign Affairs (CFA).

In the article, it was said that “Nigeria is at a point of no return with all the signs of a failed nation”.

The minister, however, said the position of the CFA does not represent an official US policy.

“This declaration is merely the opinions of two persons, former US ambassador to Nigeria and a senior fellow at the council on foreign relations, John Campbell, and the president emeritus of World Peace Foundation, Robert Rotberg,” he said.

“Declaring any nation a failed state is not done at the whims and caprices of one or two persons, no matter their status.

“Just because Nigeria is facing security challenges, which we have acknowledged and which we are tackling, does not automatically make the country a failed state.

“Yes, the council on foreign relations is a prominent US public policy think tank, but its opinion is not that of the U.S.

“Like former US senator Daniel Moynihan said, “you are entitled to your opinion but not your facts”.

Mohammed listed the criteria for a nation to become a failed state to include the inability to provide public service and the inability to interact with other states as a member of the international community.

The minister noted that Nigeria does not meet these criteria.

“Yes, the non-state actors may be rampaging in some parts of the country, they have not and cannot overwhelm this government,’’ he said.

Mohammed said it is not the first time it was predicted that Nigeria would fail or break up.

“We were even once told that Nigeria would break up in 2015. But their doomsday predictions have all failed and will fail again,” he added.