Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has given reasons he was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
He stated that the late President appointed him as Minister because of years of trust, shared convictions, loyalty, and service, rather than a single moment.
Lai Mohammed served as Information Minister for eight years under Buhari’ administration. He made this known in his newly produced book titled, “Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration”.
The book is an epistle about his experience as Information Minister under Buhari and how his appointment was based on trust. Recaping the phone call that led to his appointment:
“‘Hello,’ the voice on the line said. ‘Is this Alhaji Lai Mohammed?’ I answered in the affirmative. ‘Hold on for Mr President,’ the voice said.
“Then another voice, apparently that of the President-elect, came on the line and asked: ‘Lai, where are you?’
“‘Your Excellency, I am in Lagos.’
“‘What are you doing in Lagos?’ he asked.
“‘I live in Lagos, Your Excellency,’ I replied.
“He then went straight to the reason for the call: ‘Are you not coming for the inaugural meeting of the Transition Committee in Abuja tomorrow?’
“I replied, ‘Your Excellency, I am not a member of the committee.’ He then said, ‘Ok, Tunde (Sabiu, his longtime personal assistant) will call you,’ and he hung up.
“Within the hour, I received a call from Tunde, who asked where he should deliver the letter appointing me to the transition committee,” Mohammed explained.
Detailing his experience while serving under Buhari, he described the late President as disciplined and a man of integrity.
His words,
“Serving in Buhari’s administration for nearly eight years allowed me to witness firsthand the former President’s dedication to discipline, integrity, and national service—values that guided my own conduct in office”.