Nigeria information minister, Labaran Maku has turned the heat on the media, saying that their frequent reportage of the activities of Boko Haram insurgents has been the main source of their survival the strength.Responding to a question from newsmen shortly after today’ Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Maku insisted that continuous attention being given to Boko Haram’s exploits in parts of the country is all they need to continue to cause more havoc.
He said that terrorist all over the world thrive most where they get maximum media reportage of their activities, adding that their aim is to destabilize the polity and make show of such dangerous activities.
“Editors are just too happy to make headline of the terrorists bomb explosion, forgetting that the more you give them headline the more they are energized because that is all they need to remain in business. If you black them out of the news for six months, they will feel frustrated.
“But as it is now, our media are fond of casting political headlines, attacking the government. They make it look as if it is the terrorists that deserved all the attention, when it is obvious that we are not dealing with enemies on one side. The enemies are with us.”
Maku is worried that uptil now, journalists in Nigeria have not understood the ingredients of guerrilla warfare, saying that such war is often oiled and energized by shouting newspaper headlines and analysis.
He said that what the media has succeeded in doing so far is to continue to blame government instead of joining the government to condemn and fight the terrorists.
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