The Federal Government has condemned the letter of a US Congressman, Tom<\/p>\n
Marino, asking his country to withhold security support to Nigeria,
\ndescribing it as \u201cout of tune with reality\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n
Marino had written the letter to the US Secretary of State, John Kerry,
\nalleging infractions on some principles and local and international
\nregulations and conventions by the President Muhammadu Buhari\u2019s
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, the Minister of Information and
\nCulture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that the allegations by Marino were
\nimaginary and that he was poorly informed about the issues he commented
\non.<\/p>\n
He wondered why the congressman did not take the pains to get first-hand
\ninformation from the US Embassy in Nigeria or any other credible source
\nbefore engaging in \u201cwhat is nothing but a propaganda of his own
\nimagination\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
According to him, by asking the US to refrain from selling warplanes and
\nother military equipment to Nigeria based on a faulty premise, the
\ncongressman has demonstrated a poor understanding of global security
\nissues. \u201cInsecurity anywhere is insecurity everywhere.<\/p>\n
Had Congressman Marino understood this, he would not have made the kind of
\ncall he made concerning the US security assistance to Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Boko Haram insurgency that Nigeria has decisively dealt with under
\nPresident Muhammadu Buhari is not just a Nigerian problem but a regional
\nand international crisis,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Mohammed said that Marino was wrong when he alleged that Buhari did not
\n\u201cdemonstrate a commitment to inclusive government and the most basic
\ntenets of democracy \u2013 freedom to assemble and freedom of speech\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn administration that operates purely on the basis of respect for the
\nrule of law and a strict adherence to constitutional order is not one to
\ndeny the citizens of their constitutionally-guaranteed rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis administration therefore does not need the goading of Congressman
\nMarino or anyone for that matter to do what is right.<\/p>\n
\u201cConcerning running an inclusive government, had Congressman Marino done
\nhis homework before dispatching his letter, he would have realized that no
\npart of the country is left out in the distribution of political
\nappointments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe appointment of ministers was done in accordance with the Constitution
\nthat mandates that the President must appoint at least one minister from
\neach of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cHad the Congressman sought information from credible sources before
\nengaging in a flight of fancy, he would have been presented with
\ncomprehensive information on the appointment of CEOs for Federal
\nGovernment\u2019s parastatals, agencies and commissions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe appointments were almost evenly matched along the line of the six
\ngeo-political zones in the country, with the North-West having 51,
\nNorth-Central, 46; North-East, 45; South-East, 41; South-West, 45 and
\nSouth-South, 45.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Congressman may wish to note that each geo-political zone comprises
\nsix states, with the exception of North-West (7) and South-East (5),\u2019\u2019 he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The minister said that Marino\u2019s description of the Buhari\u2019s
\nadministration\u2019s anti-corruption efforts as \u201cselective\u2019\u2019 was a tired
\nargument that clearly showed that the US lawmaker must have appended his
\nsignature to someone\u2019s concocted line.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat line was invented by those seeking to cause an unnecessary
\ndistraction from the administration\u2019s anti-corruption efforts, and it has
\nbeen roundly rejected.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongressman Marino\u2019s decision to exhume the dead postulation without an
\niota of proof is a reflection of whose side he has taken in the ongoing
\nefforts to rid Nigeria of corrupt elements.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeedless to say that the anti-corruption battle will continue unhindered,
\nirrespective of whose ox is gored. And in this fight, only the guilty
\nneeds be afraid,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Mohammed said Nigeria was delighted that Kerry, to whom the Congressman
\naddressed his letter, was more knowledgeable, better briefed and
\ndefinitely more hands-on concerning Nigerian issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Federal Government has condemned the letter of a US Congressman, Tom Marino, asking his country to withhold security support to Nigeria, describing it as \u201cout of tune with reality\u2019\u201d.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n