Lai Mohammed says President will easily win re-election in 2019

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has expressed his confidence in the chances of President Muhammadu Buhari in winning the 2019 presidential election without much trouble.

While speaking during an interview with Bloomberg, the minister said the president is strong enough to easily defeat his opponents.

"He is very strong and well. I have never lost sleep over the re-election. Buhari will easily win," he said.

President Buhari ended months of speculation when he officially announced his intention to seek re-election in the 2019 presidential election during a meeting with the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, April 9, 2018.

Peace talks with Boko Haram 'looking good'

Lai Mohammed also told Bloomberg that the government's peace negotiation with terrorist group, Boko Haram, is looking good.

According to the minister, widespread criticism against the proposed amnesty for the group is short-sighted as the government is merely fighting for a peaceful future.

He said, "We are using third parties, including foreign parties, through backdoor channels. But the challenge is that there are many factions.

"The talks are looking good. Some people will criticize this and say how about all those people they killed. But we cannot continue to be stranded in the past forever. We should think about the future, and want a peaceful future.

"The issue is not ethnic or religious, but a problem of diminishing resources, a growing population and climate change that’s dramatically reduced the size of Lake Chad and disrupted the economy in the region."

FG's Boko Haram amnesty

President Buhari made a personal appeal to terrorists in March 2018 that the government is ready to rehabilitate and integrate repentant members into the larger society.

"This country has suffered enough of hostility. Government is, therefore, appealing to all to embrace peace for the overall development of our people and the country," he said.

The president's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, also said during an interview on April 1, 2018, that making peace with Boko Haram will greatly benefit the country as government can focus on other things.

He said the Federal Government should be able to reintegrate them back into society as long as they stop fighting and express remorse.

"Whoever is peddling these rumours that Boko Haram is being granted amnesty and so on I would ask them who doesn't want to make peace with the enemy?

"In any case as it is proverbially said all wars end up in the boardroom. You can defeat people technically in the field but at the end you must come to the conference room to resolve all issues.

"So if Boko Haram would lay down their arms and stop fighting and stop preaching that negative ideology, the country should be able to embrace them, welcome all of them so that they continue to live normal lives and be useful to the nation," he said.