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Tag: Lai Mohammed

  • We’ll ensure 9th NASS, Executive do not work at cross purposes – Lai Mohammed

    The Federal Government says, without prejudice to legislative independence, the incoming administration will forestall a repeat of the conduct of the 8th National Assembly, which worked at cross purposes with the Executive Arm of Government between 2015 and 2019.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this on Wednesday when he featured on a Nigerian Television Authority’s (NTA) Programme, “Good Morning Nigeria”.

    He said that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government was working towards having a National Assembly that would work in synergy with the executive for seamless execution of its agenda toward the delivery of democracy dividends to Nigerians.

    The minister stressed that for all the propounded programmes and policies of government to materialise in the next four years, there was the need for a legislative arm that would work in tandem with the executive arm.

    “As far as we respect the independence of the legislative arm of government, we also believe that especially when a party has done very well in both legislative and executive elections, there should be a synergy between the legislative and the executive arms of government.

    “I want to assure you that we are doing the right thing this time around and we will not end up with the kind of situation that we had in 2015 to 2019.

    “We will not have a situation where it will seem that the leadership of the National Assembly is working for the opposition or where members of the same party are working at cross purposes.

    “This time around we will get it right; we will have good relationship with the National Assembly and we will work very well with the legislature,” he said.

    The minister discussed his recent visits to the United States and the United Kingdom, where he met with the international media and Think Tanks in both countries, in the aftermath of the 2019 general elections.

    Mohammed said that he used the opportunity of the tour to tell the international community how the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had delivered on the President’s promises, and how ready it was to do more in the next four years.

    “I have a good product in President Buhari and selling it to the international community was quite easy.

    “What endears him to the international community is the achievement in economy, how he nurtured the economy from recession to growth recording six consecutive quarters of growth in GDP.

    “We have brought down inflation, foreign reserve has increased from 27 billion dollar to 45 billion dollar.

    “Our reforms have earned us accolade globally.

    “Post election, we have witnessed five billion dollar investment in Nigeria,” he said.

    The minister said that the international community commended the Buhari government for its anti-corruption stance and the successes recorded in the agriculture sector, among others.

  • Don’t judge Buhari’s anti-corruption war by conviction figures – Lai Mohammed

    It will be unfair to measure the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration by its achievements in anti-corruption fight by the number of convictions it has secured, the Federal Government said on Monday.

    Information, Culture and Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed, who featured on a live TVC News Programme – “This Morning” monitored in Abuja by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the administration has succeeded in laying the foundation to stamp out corruption.

    He listed the Single Treasury Account (TSA) and Whistle Blower policy as some of the sustainable policies put in place by the government.

    According to the minister, with the solid foundation, the fight against corruption will remain the bedrock of the administration in the next four years.

    He said: “Under this administration, we insisted and have succeeded in ensuring that all payments and revenues are paid into the TSA. Before we came in, the Federal Government had over 2000 different accounts in various banks which resulted in paying several billions on Naira in charges.

    “The government then also never had an idea of how much it had as revenue. Today, over N9.3 trillion has gone into the TSA and that is why it is possible for us to invest especially in the area of infrastructure and social investment programmes.”

    The minister said that with the TSA savings, the government spent unprecedented N2.7 trillion on development of infrastructure in 2017 and 2018 and also introduced accountability in spending of government resources.

    He said the Whistle Blower policy has helped in blocking corruption and recovery of looted funds.

    Mohammed disclosed that the government has, so far, recovered several billions of naira and about $53 million through the policy.

    He said the administration’s fight against corruption had been recognised abroad, with the African Union (AU) recognition of President Buhari as Champion of Anti-Corruption.

    Besides, the minister said that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also recognised the efforts of the administration in fighting corruption.

    He said: “When we say the fight against corruption is successful it’s because we have laid the foundation that would make it difficult for people to engage in the evil act.

    “For us, the success of the fight against corruption is the fact that we have driven corruption under the table and made it unattractive as it was before.

    “Those who are corrupt are doing so with the fear of the law. It will be progressive, become more and more difficult in Nigeria for corruption to be attractive.”

    On the allegation that the government’s anti-corruption fight was against perceived enemies and opposition, the minister said it was a misconception.

    Mohammed said: “We had 16 years of unbroken rule by the PDP; so, the likely people who will be accused of misuse of resources should be the people who were in charge. We also have some former governors who decamped to APC who have also been convicted.”

    The minister reiterated that the anti-corruption fight would be frontal in the next four years of President Buhari administration.

  • Buhari will ‘frontally’ tackle corruption in second term – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has assured the international community that President Muhammadu Buhari’s new administration will be more determined in the fight against corruption.

    Mr Mohammed, who gave the assurance in Washington D.C., in an interview with the Voice of America (VOA), said the president will not compromise his anti-corruption programmes and policies.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the minister is in Washington to engage international media and think tank, promote and reiterate the successes of the President Buhari’s administration.

    In the interview anchored in English by Aliyu Mustapha of the VOA Hausa service, the minister said that the anti-corruption fight would be frontal in the agenda of the government “because corruption is one of the major causes of poverty and underdevelopment in the country.”

    He recalled a saying by President Buhari that “if we do not kill corruption, corruption will kill us’ and reiterated the government’s commitment to the fight.

    “The president is committed to the fight against corruption and the administration will continue with it.

    “For example, the Treasury Single Account has instituted accountability in government‘s earnings and spendings and the whistle blower policy has led to the recovery of billions of naira.

    “It takes more than four years to clean a country endemic in corruption. However, it is on record that this administration has driven corruption under the carpet in four years.

    “In the next four years, therefore, the government will consolidate on the achievements recorded particularly in the fight against corruption,” he said.

    Speaking on insecurity, the minister said that the administration would apply multi-dimensional approach besides deployment of forces.

    He said the government was not unaware of other remote causes of the crises in the affected areas including economic and social reasons, non-inclusiveness, lack of infrastructure and job opportunities.

    The minister noted that the administration had performed well in addressing insecurity and the country is safer than it was in 2015.

    Specifically, he said the government had successfully secured the entire territory of the country from the Boko Haram while the farmers/herdsmen clash in Benue had been curtailed.

    Mr Mohammed said the fight against banditry, killings and banditry in Zamfara and Kaduna has “been put under control” in the last two weeks because of the synergy among the security forces.

    He assured that the government will continue to strengthen partnership on the regional and international levels in addressing the challenges.

    The minister also said that the administration has made progress in economic recovery with deliberate programmers of diversifying the economy through agriculture and other sectors, as well as developing infrastructure.

    ‘Well deserved electoral victory’

    Speaking on the general elections, the minister said President Buhari’s victory was well deserved and represented “the triumph of the ordinary Nigerians over the elite”.

    He said having delivered on his electoral promises, the people voted for Mr Buhari and he won the elections fairly and squarely, with about four million votes.

    He also said with the wide margin of winning, the government did not envisage “any attempt to delegitimise the will of the people”.

    Mr Buhari’s main challenger at the polls, Atiku Abubakar, of the Peoples Democratic Party is already in court seeking to upturn the outcome of the elections.

  • No intimidation of voters by security agents in my ward – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Saturday said there was no report of intimidation and harassment of voters by security operatives in his Oro Ward 2 Polling Unit 006 in Kwara.

    The minister stated this while addressing newsmen after casting his ballot in Saturday’s governorship and State House of Assembly elections at his home town, Oro, Irepodun Local Governemnt Area of Kwara.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 35 candidates are contesting for the Kwara governorship seat while 338 candidates from 19 political parties are vying for the 24 seats in the state House of Assembly.

    “I did not see or hear of any intimidation and harassment of people by the security operatives where I voted and I have not received any report of such from anywhere.

    “To the contrary, the report I got from some areas was that there was even no sufficient security personnel and those who said that might be expecting security men with guns around voting areas.

    “You can see that here in my polling unit, there are no security personnel harassing people.

    “In fact, I have not even seen any of them with gun.

    ‘‘I do not think that the military are deployed to harass but to see to the smooth running of the polls except for people that have skeletons in their cupboards,’’ he said.

    Mohammed said the turnout of voters in his unit was impressive, adding that he was satisfied with the process so far.

    He reiterated his advice to voters to be vigilant and ensure that their votes were counted and collated accurately.

    Chief Jacob Aransiola, the Balogun of Oro town who also came out to cast his vote, corroborated the minister that the exercise was peaceful.

    “The exercise has been going on smoothly and we do not envisage any problem here because Oro people are very peaceful.

    “We have appealed to the people to be law abiding, cast their vote peacefully and allow the process to end in peace,’’ he said.

    Speaking in the same vein, a party chairman in the ward, Mr Joseph Ibitoye, said voting was free and fair in the entire 13 polling units comprising Oro Ward 2.

    Mrs Kemi Olaseinde, a domestic election observer, representing Better Community Life Initiative at the polling unit, said the exercise was smooth and peaceful.

    “We have not observed any hitch or infraction. The turnout of voters is impressive and the security is adequate without any breach,’’ she said.

  • Kwara is free at last, says Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says with the outcome of last Saturday’s elections, Kwara is free “from a choking and pauperising political hegemony of a self-imposed dynasty”.

    The Minister, who is the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara, stated this while briefing newsmen on Monday in Ilorin.

    He stressed that never again would the people of Kwara be treated like slaves in their own land.

    “Enough is Enough – O To Ge!,” he said.

    The minister said the official results of last Saturday’s National Assembly elections in the state was a clean sweep for the APC.

    “All three seats in the Senate and all six in the House of Representatives were won by our party.

    “The match between our party and the PDP ended 10-0 (1-0 President, 3-0 Senatorial, 6-0 House of Reps)

    He advised that with the unprecedented victory the state should declare Feb. 23 of every year as the Day of Liberation for Kwara State.

    “I want to ask the incoming Governor of our state to, immediately he is sworn in on 29 May 2019, to declare Feb. 23rd of every year as the Day of Liberation for Kwara State.”

    The minister gave gratitude to God for the victory and thanked the good people of Kwara for coming out to vote for APC.

    “No single individual can claim credit for this victory. It belongs to the people of Kwara.

    “All of us, the party leadership, were fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time to lead the process.

    “But the ultimate credit goes to the people who resoundingly said NO to the PDP last Saturday.

    “Fired on by perhaps the most impactful, three-word political slogan ever in the history of party politics in this land – ” O to Ge” meaning Enough is Enough”.

    “Kwarans have confirmed the saying that the power of the people is much stronger than the people in power,” he said.

    The minister said the victory in Kwara was achieved in the sweetest way because the election was conducted in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.

    He said: “not a single shot was fired throughout Kwara, no one snatched ballot box rather it was an atmosphere of conviviality.”

    Mohammed said the election was a sharp departure from what used to be in the state.

    ‘It confirms what we have been saying, that when there is adequate security, there will be a level playing ground for all the parties, and for all Kwarans.”

    The minister thanked the security agencies, all the party members, supporters and leaders of the party across the state.

    He urged the party members to note that the job was not completed yet, until they deliver the March 9 governorship and State House of Assembly elections for APC.

  • I owe my appointment to Buhari, not Saraki – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says he owes his appointment as minister to President Muhammadu Buhari and no one else.

    In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the minister said it was “laughable’’ that anyone would seek to take credit for his appointment.

    Mohammed was reacting to a statement by Dr. Doyin Okupe the Special Adviser (Media) to the Director-General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, in which he gave credit to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki for the minister’s appointment.

    The minister said that the entire statement by Okupe, “is nothing but fiction writing, for which he deserves a hall of infamy award (in the fiction writing segment).

    “Not one of the claims he made in his statement is true.’’

    Mohammed challenged Okupe to make available to Nigerians any evidence he might have to support his assertion that the President sought the permission of Saraki to appoint him as minister.

    “We understand that Dr. Okupe’s cheap attempt at mud-throwing is nothing but a proxy fight, rooted deeply in the politics of Kwara State.

    “We are aware that Okupe’s boss is feeling the heat emanating from the `O To Ge’ (enough is enough) movement in Kwara.

    “ And that even the strongest of men will become disoriented and disillusioned at losing the support of a people who once venerated them to high heavens.

    “But that is a self-inflicted wound for which Okupe’s boss, an acclaimed slave master, has no one but himself to blame,’’ Mohammed said.

    The minister said he was very proud to lead the ‘O To Ge’ movement that is set to finally bring down the Berlin Wall of political hegemony in
    Kwara State and send Okupe’s boss into political oblivion.

    He said the movement will also free Okupe himself from merely being his master’s voice, so he can fully devote his time to his new-found pastime – fiction writing.

  • Lai Mohammed speaks on death of Leah Sharibu

    Lai Mohammed speaks on death of Leah Sharibu

    The Federal Government says the social media report on the death of the abducted Dapchi school girl, Leah Sharibu, is fake and ploy by political opposition to tarnish the Administration’s image ahead of the general elections.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the government’s position at a media briefing on Sunday in Ilorin.

    He described as ‘absolute fake’ the report that Sharibu had died in captivity.

    The minister said the rumour of Sharibu’s death, which surfaced just a few days to the presidential election, was another ploy by the political opposition to exploit primordial sentiments ahead of the polls.

    “It is part of the opposition’s strategies to throw everything at the administration and at the President. I think every day they are realising the hopelessness of their position.

    “Every day they are amazed by the support Mr President is receiving from every part of the country and they have decided that they are going to spread falsehood.

    ‘‘They have also decided to inflame passion and make this election a Muslim-Christian affair or North-South affair, but people are not listening to them,” he said.

    The minister said that ahead of the Monday’s presidential campaign rally in Ilorin, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has put everything in place to ensure that the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari is a huge success.

    “The party has been meeting in the last couple of days to ensure that the President’s visit is very successful.

    ‘‘We have watched the rallies in many parts of the country and we want to assure Mr. President that our rally in terms of numbers, quality of people, entertainment and colour will rank among the best,” he said.

    He said the crowd that will come out to receive the President will be organic as the party does not engage in renting crowds.

    Mohammed appealed to security agencies to create a level playing field for all the contestants in the election to allow the people to freely exercise their franchise.

    He declared that those involved in legitimate activities have nothing to fear.

    The minister described the protest in some circles over the redeployment of Police Commissioners across the country as the handiwork of the opposition.

    Specifically, he said the opposition was working to discredit the police and the
    Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of the general elections.

     

  • Onnoghen: PDP crying more than the bereaved – Lai Mohammed

    Onnoghen: PDP crying more than the bereaved – Lai Mohammed

    The Federal Government says the directive by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suspending its campaign to protest the suspension of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, is a face saving measure “because the party’s campaign died long ago.”

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, faulted the party’s action in an in interview with newsmen on Saturday in Ilorin.

    “Which campaign did they suspend? Is it the campaign that died a long time ago? Let me tell everybody that their campaign was long dead.

    “What is happening is that they are looking for a face saving device to say that they suspended a campaign that died a long time ago.

    “In any case, is the suspended CJN a member of their party?. Why is the PDP crying more than the bereaved? I don’t understand, they should give us a break,” he said.

    The minister said that the party’s action was suspicious, adding that it was acting a script not known to many people.

    “They are acting as if there is something between them and the suspended CJN, otherwise, we do not know why they will suspend the campaign that was long dead,” he said.

    On the public outcry against the suspension of Onnoghen by President Muhammadu Buhari, the minister said the critics ignored the real issues which concern corruption and the need to protect the judiciary.

    He said: “Anybody who read the address of the president yesterday will know that he laid out the point and reasons for the action.

    “The first is that there are additional evidence revealing that the suspended CJN refused to declare millions of dollars in his possession

    “More worrisome is the fact that when the suspended CJN was confronted with the petition that he failed to declare his asset, he admitted adducing the reason that he forgot.

    “The people that are crying tyranny and dictatorship should ask where the suspended CJN amass several millions of dollars which he failed to declare.

    “We are talking about fighting corruption here. Are those people who are crying wolf saying we should condone corruption?’’

    He said the critics were being “hypocritical and insincere” to say that it was right for a CJN to be in possession of millions of dollars unaccounted for and not declared as required by law.

    Mohammed said contrary to the opinions of some critics, the president acted legally by obeying the directive of a court of competent jurisdiction to suspend the CJN.

    “The president did not just wake up in the morning to suspend the CJN. He was acting based on the order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

    “The fundamental question is that where in the world will a Chief Justice of a country fail to declare his asset, confronted with evidence that millions of dollars flowed into his account and the only defence will be that he forgot.

    ” I agree with the president that as soon as those allegations were made, the right thing he would have done was to excuse himself.

    “I also agree with the president that the alacrity with which judgments were coming from left right and centre supporting the CJN is a departure from slow machinery of justice that we are all used to,” he said.

    The minister stressed that the president’s suspension of the CJN was sequel to the order of a competent court and the critics should look beyond sentiments.

     

  • Offa robbery: If there is a doctored tape, Lai Mohammed authored it – Saraki’s Aide

    Offa robbery: If there is a doctored tape, Lai Mohammed authored it – Saraki’s Aide

    Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to Senate President, Yusuph Olaniyonu, has stated that if there is any doctored version of the Christmas Day radio interview by his boss, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, who presented it should be asked where he got it from.

    Accusing Mohammed as being the author of such a doctored recording, Olaniyonu, in a statement in Abuja, stated that the radio stations were simply instructed to do a repeat broadcast of the interview following the requests by stakeholders at various meetings held by the Senate President around the state.

    “Nobody produced another tape or instructed anybody to edit any part of the tape and nothing like that was done. That is why the same instruction was passed to all the stations, including Harmony FM which is under the supervision of Mr. Lai Mohammed and the Sobi FM owned by an APC gubernatorial aspirant. The Sobi FM did not air the repeat broadcast because they said they had another Programme scheduled for that Sunday morning.

    “On my way to Pategi town in Kwara North Senatorial District that Sunday morning, I listened to the repeat broadcast on the car stereo and the area concerning the Offa case was clearly there. If there was any plan to doctor or edit the tape, would we do such a thing with Mr. Mohammed’s Harmony FM or propose that to Sobi FM whose position is well known to us? So, if Mohammed suddenly created and produced a recording of the interview different from what was repeated by the four radio stations on December 30, 2018, then he should be asked how and where he got it”, Olaniyonu stated.

    He added that it was good that Mohammed at least admitted that Dr. Saraki donated N10 million to people in Offa but that the money was meant for the traders that lost goods in the inferno that razed the market in the town and not for the victims of the robbery incident.

    “I remember as a member of the Senate President’s delegation to the Olofa of Offa’s Palace, to commiserate with the people on the sad incident of the robbery that it was during that visit that Mrs. McCarthy, the secretary of the Offa Development Union (ODU) raised the issue of the earlier incident on the market fire incident and Dr. Saraki promised that N10m would be made available the following day.

    “The question people should ask the Minister is: How much has he ever donated to provide succour for the people of Offa for whatever purpose? He is only trying to draw political capital from the sad occurrences that happened to his own people. We are not unmindful of the fact that he continued to talk about the Offa incident as a way of playing cheap politics on the misfortune that befell some people. We urge him to move on to talking about what development projects he has brought to Offa as a member of the Federal Executive Council representing Kwara State”, he added.

    The aide to the Senate President noted that while the information Minister continue to grand-stand over a dubious and Pyrrhic victory recorded by his party in a bye-election in which he led security agencies to inflict violence on his people, the results had only produced an illegitimate legislator who is largely shunned and viewed with scorn by members of his community.

    “We are not surprised that a ‘visiting’ politician like Mr. Mohammed, found it strange that Dr. Saraki held meetings with canvassers and stakeholders across the local government areas during the Christmas holiday. As a grassroots mobilizer, this is what he has always done since he first contested in an election in 2003. Well, a Lagos based, ‘seasonal’ politician like the minister would not know. Now, he should know that the electioneering campaign in Kwara State is always done on ward to ward basis and not by staying in Abuja or the state capital. As a matter of fact, the campaign is yet to begin.


    “At this point, Mr. Mohammed should tell the public which faction of APC he belongs to in Kwara State because the last time we checked, he is a member of the Bolarinwa faction which has been declared illegal and all its activities and candidates nullified by the Court. He should let us know if he has now joined the Balogun-Fulani faction or as he is fond of doing, he will simply stay in Lagos and be a poll observer in the coming elections. As he struggles to answer the above questions, let it be known that this will be my last word on this issue”, Olaniyonu stated.

  • 2019: How APC will defeat Saraki, PDP in Kwara – Lai Mohammed

    2019: How APC will defeat Saraki, PDP in Kwara – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says Kwara Central Senatorial District, represented by Senate President Bukola Saraki will be the easiest to be delivered to the All Progressives Congress in this year’s general elections.

    The minister said this on Thursday in Ilorin while inspecting the Campaign Office and Situation Room of the Buhari\Osinbajo Project (BOP) 2019, a political group drumming support and votes for the APC in Kwara State.

    The minister inspected the office ahead of Friday inauguration of the 18,000 grassroots vote canvassers across all polling units in Kwara.

    Reacting to prediction in certain quarters that Mr Saraki would be returned to the Senate even if APC wins other elections in the state, the minister said the revolution in Kwara State was total.

    “The easiest nut to crack will be the Kwara Central Senatorial District because the first revolution started from there.

    “Cast your minds back to what happened in the last Local Government elections, you will see that the people of Kwara are ripe for change and we have no fear in any part of the state.

    “When revolution comes, it comes in total and hence the slogan across nooks and crannies of Kwara today, “O to ge’’ meaning “Enough is Enough’’.

    “What is happening today in Kwara is mass movement and that is why everywhere we go in the state we are warmly received, whereas the PDP are being received there with hostility,’’ he said.

    The minister said after inspecting the campaign office and the situation room of BOP, and interacting with the people, he was confident that the 2019 elections in Kwara would be a walk over for the APC.

    He said the party had no fewer than 18,000 foot soldiers at polling units level all over Kwara who would in turn target 10 supporters each before the elections,.

    According to him, the party will on Friday inaugurate 2,800 grassroots canvassers, 193 wards coordinators, 193 wards secretaries, 193 wards women leaders and 193 wards youths leaders.

    Mr Mohammed said the most important was the situation room at the BOP headquarters which would have the details of every ward coordinator and contact them daily on the progress made and their challenges.

    “We have telephone numbers of all our canvassers, 10 of them in each polling units and we have the mechanism with which we are going to be calling them daily.

    “This method is very important and key strategy even than rallies.

    “Yes, rallies are very good for perception and moral boosting, but the real electioneering campaign work is what is being done here,’’ he said.

    The minister said it would be difficult for moles to infiltrate the vote canvassers, but if they do, there were mechanism in place to fish them out.

    He thanked all the party supporters and financiers for their selfless services and reassured them of victories in the coming polls.

    Ganiyu Zubair, the Coordinator of the BOP 2019, said the situation room inspected by the minister “is a place of deep thinking to map out strategy to deliver Kwara from slavery and looters.’’

    Mr Zubair assured that in the general elections scheduled for February, APC would record outstanding votes and victories never witnessed in the history of Kwara.

    Speaking in the same vein, the BOP 2019 Secretary, Ayoola Obisesan, said the party was well prepared for victory and nothing would deter APC from taking over all Kwara.