The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has unveiled a new campaign in support of the war against Boko Haram by the Federal Government.
Lai Mohammed said that Nigeria is at the forefront of the battle against ISIS, which has a strong foothold in West Africa.
Speaking, the Minister said: “Recall that on January 8th 2019, we announced that we would soon launch a campaign to seek the support of the citizens for our troops, especially in the fight against insurgency.
“Today marks the fulfilment of that promise as we are here to formally launch the NATIONAL CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF THE MILITARY.
“It is a follow-up to the hugely-successful National Campaign Against Insecurity which we launched on Feb. 16th, 2016, with the punchline: ”If you see something, say something.”
“Why are we launching this campaign?
“Because we believe that the men and women in uniform who are risking all, including making the supreme sacrifice, to keep us safe deserve the support and prayers of all Nigerians, not vilification, insults and other acts that are capable of dampening their morale.”
Noting that the campaign has become necessary because Boko Haram has grown beyond homegrown insurgency, he said further:
“And why are we launching the campaign now?
“Because, as our gallant men and women in uniform clear the remnants of the home-grown insurgency called Boko Haram, they are confronting a fresh crisis, a global insurgency.
“A faction of Boko Haram has aligned with the global terror group, ISIS, to form ISWAP, the Islamic State’s West African Province.
“In other words, ISIS now has a strong foothold in West Africa – with Nigeria in the forefront of the battle against them.
“With ISIS largely dislodged from Iraq and Syria, there is undoubtedly a flush of fresh fighters and weapons to ISWAP.
“Therefore, our military is fighting a global insurgency, without the kind of global coalition, including the United States that battled ISIS in Syria and Iraq,” he noted.