Presidency Warns Nigerians on Ignoring Ethnic, Religious Chaos

The Presidency has urged Nigerians to be careful of those igniting ethnic and religious chaos in the country, noting it is done for a quest for power and filthy lucre.

The senior special assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, stated this yesterday in Abuja.
The Presidency also raised the alarm over the alleged plan to launch a smear campaign against President Muhammadu Buhari in the media.

The statement revealed thus, “Those who are bent on stoking ethnic and religious unrest in the country remain deaf to reason and impervious to reality. They are hell-bent on distorting reality, and Nigerians are urged to be wary of them. It is all about the quest for power, and filthy lucre.”

It noted that security sources have disclosed that the plot will be launched on online blogs and newspapers acquired and developed to aggravate ethnic and religious tensions.

“There is a compelling reason to alert the nation of another orchestrated smear campaign against President Muhammadu Buhari, using some online newspapers and blogs.

“The campaign, scheduled to be launched anytime soon through editorials and purported extraordinary investigative stories, is designed to further exacerbate tension in the land by portraying the President as pandering to ethnic and other primordial tendencies, contrary to his pledge to belong to all Nigerians.

“Impeccable security findings indicate that those behind the plot have procured online blogs and newspapers, which are to launch coordinated publications, alleging subjugation and suppression of a particular religion and ethnic groups.

“A specific medium has so far contacted some opinion leaders, especially those very critical of President Buhari.

“Part of the planned publication is to make ethnic groups against crimes of murder, kidnappings, rape and banditry in the southern, middle belt and some northern states.

“The publication will also refer Nigerians to a 58-page document, which chronicles purported atrocities of the ethnic group in the South since 2017, all of which it claims the Presidency has turned blind eyes to.

“Again, the hatchet job will allege that the President has continued to place members of his ethnic nationality in sensitive positions, to confer undue advantage on them. This allegation is by no means supported with useful facts and figures.