The Federal Government has admonished desperate politicians and the political elite to desist from spreading falsehood about religious persecution in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who spoke on Wednesday in London, noted that those who engaged in the act were de-marketing the country from the global economy.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister is in London to engage with international media organisations and other think tanks.
“We are aware that some people are de-marketing the country and there is no length they have not gone to do this. But the honest truth is that there is nothing like religious persecution in Nigeria. There is no state in Nigeria that has Muslims without Christians.
“We must be very careful not to de-market our country simply because we have not been able to get what we want,” he said.
The minister fingered desperate politicians as the peddlers of the falsehood, saying the effect could be dire for the country.
“We know what some people did at the run-up to the last general election to ensure that this administration did not succeed.
“Since we won the election, we have called on everybody to come together to support this administration.
“Any attempt to de-market this country will have dire consequences on everybody; whether you are Christian or Muslim.
“It is important for everyone to know that this country will continue to exist, even after 2023.
“Spreading falsehood will not be in our interest and we all know that religion is a very sensitive issue in Nigeria,” he added.
Mohammed urged world leaders not to withdraw their support to Nigeria in its fight against terrorism due to the falsehood and other reasons.
“We cannot be left to ourselves. It took the whole world to flush out terrorists from Syria and we need that kind of thing in fighting Boko Haram in Nigeria.
“If you noticed, the entire Sahel is unstable today: Burkina Fasso, Chad, Mali, Cameroon and Niger.
“This is not the time for the international community to withdraw its support. Terrorism is a global issue, and we all have a common destiny,” he said.
According to the minister, if terrorism is allowed to thrive in any region or part of the world, it will affect the entire world.