The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said
he is the most sued minister in the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Minister stated this in Abuja at a send forth dinner
organised in his honour by his ministry and its parastatals as the Buhari
administration comes to an end in days.
Speaking at the event, the minister said, excluding the
Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, who is represented
or joined in cases against the Federal Government, he is the most sued
minister.
He said not less than 37 cases were filed against him and his
office in the course of discharging his duties speaking for government,
defending its policies and programmes as well as being the cultural ambassador
of the nation.
According to the minister, no month would pass that
President Buhari would not receive a message that Lai Mohammed should be fired
for one alleged infractions or the other.
He said he was able to keep his job because the President
trusted and believed in him and knew that his actions were in the interest of
the administration and country.
Mohammed identified the EndSARS crisis and the suspension of
Twitter operations in the country as the two most challenging incidents and
actions that his office faced and had to manage and defend.
According to him, it was a daunting task, during the
EndSARS, for his office to convince Nigerians and the global community that no
life was lost at the Lekki Toll gate which some sections of the media
erroneously tagged ‘massacre”.
He reiterated that till date, nobody has come out to claim
that his or her child, ward or relative was killed at the the Lekki Toll Gate.
The minister said the suspension of Twitter operations
attracted criticism and condemnations locally and internationally because the
reason for the action by government was misunderstood.
He said the action had paid off for the country because
Twitter has registered its operations in the country and ready to work with
terms and conditions agreed by both parties.
Looking back to Nov. 11, 2015, when he assumed office as
Minister, Mohammed said it was an epic journey and so far, it was the longest
period anyone had served as Minister of Information and Culture.
“I make bold to say that thanks to you all, we lived up to
our mandate, which is the management of the image, reputation and promotion of
the culture of the people and government of Nigeria.
“We did these through
a dynamic public information system that facilitated access by citizens and the
global community to credible and timely information.
“Among many achievements, we blazed the trail in the
retrieval of our timeless artefacts from those who looted them, and our model
is being followed by many countries around the world,” he said.
Mohammed thanked the two Special Assistants to the President
attached to his office, Mr Segun Adeyemi, and Mr William Adeleye, whom he
described as team players.
He also appreciated the five Permanent Secretaries that
worked with him during his tenure, CEOs of the agencies under the Ministry,
Directors, his media team and other members of staff for their diligence and
cooperation.
Earlier in a welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of the
Ministry, Mrs Lydia Jafiya, hailed the minister for his innovation and
outstanding contributions to the development of the country.
He described the minister as a humorous boss who would work
late nights, push them to work to get results, get upset when the need arose
but would never hold the anger to heart.
She also hailed the minister for his inclusiveness,
firmness, intelligence, fatherly disposition and wished him well in his future
endeavour.
The Director-General of National Orientation Agency, Dr
Garba Abari, who spoke on behalf of the CEOs of the parastatal agencies of the
ministry, corroborated the workaholic, and fatherly disposition of the
minister.
He thanked the minister for the support and cooperation he
gave to each and everyone of the CEOs and their organisations.
There was also a virtual goodwill messages from Mr Zurab
Polokikashvilli, the Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO), and Mr Hamat Bah, the Gambian Minister of Tourism and
Culture.
Polokikashvilli and Bah respectively thanked Mohammed for
his “great vision and passion” for the tourism industry in Nigeria, Africa and
the world at large.
Bah specifically commended Mohammed for his “calm demeanour
and fatherly advice” deployed to calm tensions and resolve issues whenever
there were misunderstandings or crisis in the meetings of African Minister’s of
Tourism and Culture.
For his part, Polokikashvilli said the minister’s
contributions to the development of tourism locally, regionally and
internationally would remain indelible.
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