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Tag: Lai Mohammed

  • Chibok/Dapchi girls comparison: Jonathan calls Lai Mohammed ‘notorious liar’

    Chibok/Dapchi girls comparison: Jonathan calls Lai Mohammed ‘notorious liar’

    Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, has rubbished a statement credited to the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed that his administration delayed in responding to the abduction of Chibok girls.

    Mohammed, while speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of the Editors’ plaza championed by the Nigerian Guild of Editors, said, “Now, don’t compare orange with apple. When Chibok girls were kidnapped, it took the PDP government 18 full days to admit that the girls were kidnapped. This time we swung into action within 24 hours.”

    Reacting to the statement, Jonathan told Mohammed to respect his age and stop lying to Nigerians.

    In a statement signed on his behalf by his former aide, Reno Omokri, Jonathan described as lies report that his government took 18 days to admit that the Chibok Girls were kidnapped.

    The statement sent to TheNewsGuru reads, “My attention has been drawn to fallacious comments made by the notoriously dishonest Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to the effect that the Jonathan administration did not act on time when the Chibok Girls were kidnapped whereas the Buhari government acted promptly when the Dapchi Girls were kidnapped.

    “Lai’s comments are reminiscent of the statement made by Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, justifying President Buhari’s inaction on killer Fulani herdsmen because the herdsmen also killed during Jonathan’s tenure.

    “When will Lai Mohammed respect his old age and stop lying? Is he not ashamed at the storm he is currently facing on social media after he lied that 100 planes are searching for the Dapchi Girls, a statement that was promptly denounced as a lie by the Nigerian Air Force? Even members of his own government know Lai Mohammed is a liar.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, it is not true that the Jonathan government took 18 days to admit that the Chibok Girls were kidnapped.

    “The Chibok Girls were kidnapped on April 14, 2014. Exactly three days later, on April 17, 2014, then President Goodluck Jonathan called an emergency National Security Council meeting at Aso Rock Presidential Villa.

    “If the Jonathan administration did not admit that the Chibok Girls were kidnapped, why would the President summon a Nation Security Council meeting?

    “Now more than a week after the Dapchi Girls were kidnapped, has President Buhari held a National Security Council meeting to address the situation? No he has not. As a matter of fact, to prove to Nigerians how inept he is, the President canceled this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting.

    “Which serious leader cancels the most important meeting in his nation at a time when Kaduna is facing ethnic and religious killings, Zamfara is facing mass killings by bandits, Benue, Plateau, Adamawa and Taraba are facing an onslaught from Fulani herdsmen and 110 girls were kidnapped in Dapchi?

    “Going back to the Jonathan administration, the Nigerian Army and Air force began searching for the girls after the emergency National Security Council meeting on April 17, 2014, with sorties being flown in search of the girls.

    “But very curiously, Nigerians would recall that the All Progressive Congress Governor of Borno State, Governor Kashim Shettima, admitted in an interview he gave Premium Times on April 2, 2016, that he deliberately did not inform the then President about the Chibok kidnap when it happened. President Jonathan had to find out from military forces on the ground.

    “Why would the chief security officer of his state be that negligent?

    “My advice to Alhaji Lai Mohammed is that he should direct his lying talents to the specific task of cooking up lies to counter the testimony of the APC Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Geidam, who blamed the kidnapping of the Dapchi Girls on the Buhari administration.

    “According to Mr. Geidam, the Nigerian Army under President Buhari pulled out the troops guarding Government Girls Science and Technology College, Dapchi.

    “Who gave the order for the troops to leave their guard duty? The sector command has said that they handed over security of the school to the Nigerian Police Force, an assertion that has been denied by the police.

    “These are the things that should concern Lai Mohammed, not a contest with an administration that scored higher anti-corruption ratings from Transparency International than the corrupt government he is serving. And if he has too much time on his hand, Lai Mohammed can travel to more European football clubs to disgrace himself and his family by wearing a suit jacket on top of an agbada.

    “Let me end by saying that whoever named Lai Mohammed at birth must have been a prophet. The person was able to look far ahead into Lai’s future and gave him a name that rhymes with his life’s purpose.”

  • Yobe school attack: FG confirms 110 Dapchi girls unaccounted

    The Federal Government on Sunday confirmed that 110 schoolgirls of Government Girls Technical School Dapchi, were unaccounted for in the Boko Haram attack on the school last Monday.

    Alhaji Lai Mohammed, minister of information, disclosed this to newsmen in Damaturu after a closed door meeting between a federal government delegation,Yobe government, security agencies, community leaders and parents of the missing schoolgirls.

    “It was a meeting between stakeholders to get a first hand information and, out of the total register of 906 students in school that day, 110 students are unaccounted” he said.

    The minister said far reaching decisions were reached among which included the deployment of police and Civil Defence Corps to all schools.

    He said security agencies were synergizing to ensure the rescue of every student abducted by the insurgents.

    “No stone will be left unturned in our determination to rescue these girls” the minister assured.

    He said the federal, state governments and parents would collaborate with security agents to work towards successful rescue of the students.

    Mohammed reiterated that the insurgents were being contained and now looking for soft targets.

    “Government will remain focused and resolute in the fight against insurgency to rescue the students and every Nigerian in their custody.”

    Government Girls Technical College Dapchi was last Monday attacked by Boko Haram insurgents and, abducted the schoolgirls.

     

  • Stakeholders to get update on search for missing Dapchi girls – Lai Mohammed

    Security officials and other stakeholders are to get an update on the search for the missing Dapchi girls of the Government Science and Technical Girls College, Yobe.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed disclosed this in a statement signed in Damaturu on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Segun Adeyemi

    Mohammed and the Minister of Interior, Lt. – Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd) who led the Federal Government delegation arrived in Damaturu earlier on Sunday.

    The Minister said the delegation would meet with state government officials, and Principal of the school to know the update on the missing school girls.

    He recalled that it was the second time in four days that a Federal Government delegation would visit Yobe over the issue of the missing Dapchi girls.

    More than One hundred girls were reported missing after suspected Boko Haram terrorist group attacked the school on Monday.

     

  • JUST IN: Again, presidential delegation arrives Yobe for missing #DapchiGirls

    A presidential delegation led by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, and his counterpart in the interior ministry, Abdulrahman Dambazau, have arrived Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.

    TheNewsGuru reports this is the second time a presidential delegation will visit the state after Lai Mohammed first visit the state on Thursday over the issue of the missing Dapchi girls to get an update on the search for the girls.

     

    Details later…

     

  • Digital switch over will provide endless opportunities – Lai Mohammed

    Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, on Friday said the “Digital Switch Over” from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting, would create endless opportunities in the entertainment and economic sectors.

    Mohammed made this remark during the official launch of the digital switchover television service in Osogbo, Osun.

    According to the minister, the switchover would provide platform for telecommunication companies, advertisers, content providers and movie producers to maximize profit through digital broadcasting, a medium for reaching wider and distant audience.

    He also stressed the numerous job opportunities and businesses the digital switchover would create, stating that those in the broadcasting value chain would be engaged in every production stage.

    He said local companies engaged to produce setup boxes for receiving digital signals would also employ a lot of Nigerians, whereby reducing unemployment and creating new jobs.

    Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun, in his own remarks, commended the minister’s gesture for making Osun an anchor state for the digital switch over launch in the South-West.

    Aregbesola said the digital age had come to stay, and that digital broadcasting made it possible for anyone with a standard studio, camera and equipment to be seen in the far corners of the world.

    He said that as the switch over setup box production company was already in the state, people of the state were at advantage of keying into the digital world.

    He, therefore, urged the digital signal distribution company, in charge of Osun, to ensure they covered the whole state, so the people of the state could enjoy the digital broadcasting experience.

    Malam Is’haq Kawu, the Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), in his own remarks said the launch of the digital switch over in Osun was unique because the state was the first location in the South-Western part of the country.

    Kawu also said Osogbo, which is the capital of Osun was strategic to the launch, as it was one of the cities that a factory had been setup for the production of setup boxes for digital TV.

    He said the launch of the digital switch over in Osun allowed for the spread of the service into the South-West region, and that the choice of Osun was most logical (NAN)

  • Yobe attacks: Boko Haram on a mission to embarrass Buhari’s government – Lai Mohammed

    …Says FG not sure of precise number of missing schoolgirls in Yobe attack

    The Federal Government on Thursday said it cannot put an exact figure to the number of girls missing in the recent attack on Yobe State.

    It therefore called for more time to be able to assess situation of things.

    This was revealed by the Minister of Information, Alhaj Lai Mohammed.

    “On the issue of the number of missing girls, we cannot give what we are not sure of, until we hear from their parents, we cannot say this is the number,” Mr. Mohammed told reporters shortly after he arrived at Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Thursday afternoon. “Give us a few more time please”.

    Mohammed arrived the community with Khadijat Bukar-Ibrahim, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

    Governor of Yobe State, Ibrahim Geidam, was on ground to receive the team. The Theatre Commander, Operations Lafiya Dole, Rogers Nicholas, a major-general, was also on the scene.

    The minister and his entourage were briefed by the governor and the General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Damaturu.

    Shortly after the briefing, Mohammed told reporters that he was delegated by the president to visit the attacked community and commiserate with the victims.

    He said his delegation which also includes a representative of the minister of defence, was also to find out the true situation about the missing schoolgirls.

    On the issue of the missing students, the minister said it is still too early to determine their whereabouts.

    “We are still monitoring the situation and what I want people to understand is that since two days ago some of the students who fled to neighbouring towns and communities had returned and more have been returning.

    “When we arrived here we have been briefed by the governor and the GOC about the situation of the students. We know there are few students who are yet accounted for, but we don’t want to manufacture stories on this issue. But give us few days, we will be able to tell you exactly the real situation of things.

    “But you can see response of the military, the response of the state government is quite commendable. Since four days now we have been following the efforts being made to arrest the situation,” he said.

    He lampooned the Boko Haram and said the sect only attacked the school because it is in its dying days and craving media attention.

    “But we must understand that these are they dying days of the Boko Haram and what they intend to do is to embarrass the government because they have been degraded, they have been pushed out of Sambisa forest.

    “They have been starved out of oxygen and the oxygen they feed on is publicity so that they can grab the world’s attention. But I can assure you that with the determination of our gallant military, the days of Boko Haram are numbered.”

    Recall that Mohammed was amongst the three ministers that President Muhammadu Buhari asked to visit the state on Wednesday for a first hand information on the incident.

    Scores of girls are reported missing following a Boko Haram attack on the school Monday night. Conflicting accounts of both state and federal officials over the crisis have further confused and worsened the anxieties of parents and other citizens.

    Mohammed’s comments that the Buhari administration cannot immediately give any details about the situation came a day after the state government said some of the kidnapped girls have been rescued and handed over to the Nigerian Army.

    But that account now seems to be in dispute, as the Defence Headquarters said the alleged rescue could not be confirmed.

    “We cannot confirm” the statement by Yobe State that some of the girls have been rescued, Defence spokesperson, John Agim saidThursday morning.

    Similarly, a federal lawmaker who represents the community said the report that the girls had been rescued was untrue.

    “The military did not rescue any girls yesterday as being reported in the media,” Goni Bukar, the lawmaker representing Bursari/Geidam/Yunusari federal constituency, said in a telephone interview Thursday afternoon.

    “I am currently speaking with you from the school and I stand here with the governor and other top military officials, I can tell you that no girls were rescued,” he added. “We have only been able to locate some girls in one or two batches at different places.”

     

  • We “cannot sleep with our eyes closed because of the media” – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has restated the Federal Government’s commitment to the freedom of the press, saying the media has nothing to fear from the present administration.

    The Minister stated this in Abuja on Thursday when he received a delegation from the International Press Institute (IPI) on a courtesy visit to his office.

    “The media has nothing to fear from the government. But on the contrary, we are the ones that cannot sleep with our eyes closed because of the media,” he said.

    Mr. Mohammed, who said the government always takes criticism from the media in good faith, however, appealed to the media to be fair and constructive in its criticisms.

    “Like I always say, this government will never stifle the media. We take so many punches everyday from the media. We are not saying please don’t criticise us, do criticise us, but please do your own homework thoroughly also and be fair to us. That’s all we are asking. Please criticise us on facts and not on emotion,” he said.

    The minister said the present administration believes that democracy cannot thrive without a free press but noted that the media should report the government within the context of the daunting challenges facing the nation, most of which were inherited by the administration.

    He said the government is on a rescue mission, but noted that the rot of 16 years cannot be corrected within two and a half years.

    Mr. Mohammed said the administration succeeded in preventing a total collapse of the economy and has returned the country to the path of economic growth and sustainable development.

    He thanked the IPI for its confidence in Nigeria by granting the country the hosting right for its annual congress, saying the IPI World Congress 2018, scheduled for Abuja on 21-23 June, will give the government the opportunity to showcase its achievements to the international media.

    In her remarks, the Executive Director of IPI, Barbara Trionfi, said she is in the country to interface with media professionals towards the successful hosting of the forthcoming congress.

    She commended the government for its efforts towards promoting press freedom and the safety of journalists in the country, and tasked the media industry to look beyond business rivalry and competition in order to cooperate and promote the core values of journalism.

    Ms. Trionfi was accompanied on the visit by the Chairman of IPI Nigeria and Publisher of Media Trust, Kabiru Yusuf; former Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority, Tonnie Iredia, and the Secretary of IPI Nigeria, Raheem Adedoyin, among others.

  • No imminent war, crisis in Nigeria – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says there is no imminent war or crisis in Nigeria and the country is in competent hands under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The Minister stated this during an interactive session with a cross section of Nigerian community and members of staff of the Nigerian Embassy in Madrid, Spain.

    The Minister is in Madrid for the signing of Agreement between Nigeria and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) on the hosting of Conference of UNWTO Commission for Africa.

    The Conference of the African Ministers of Tourism and global tourism players with the theme “Tourism Statistics, a Catalyst for Development” is scheduled for June 4 to June 6 in Abuja.

    Mohammed said that contrary to negative narratives being read in the social media and the internet, there was “absolutely no cause for alarm and the nation is not in any form of imminent war”.

    He said, specifically, that the challenge of herders and farmers clashes in the country was neither ethnic nor religious but as a result of global environmental and economic realities.

    Mohammed stressed that the development was not new to the country and the government was committed to addressing the challenge.

    He said some people were, however, for their personal agenda and gains, trying to bring in religious and ethnic sentiments to what was happening.

    “Do not be surprised that the naysayers have invested billions of Naira to promote instability, ethic wrangling and misunderstanding.

    “But I want you to put your minds at rest that there is no war in Nigeria, there is no imminent war, there is no ethnic battle or religious conflict

    “The Nigeria I left behind is a country where people, irrespective of where they come from, live together in harmony and government is alive to its responsibilities.

    “We are not saying that there are no problems at all in Nigeria, there is no country where there is no problem including Spain here.

    “A couple of month ago, we know that separatism raised its ugly head here in Spain and the whole world watched the development.

    “There is nothing new happening in our country, it is a reflection of our plural values and we will continue to address them,” he said.

    Mohammed said that the Administration was on the right path delivering on its electoral promises especially in revamping the economy, tackling insecurity and fighting corruption.

    He said that in assessing the performance of the Administration people should do so in the context of what it inherited in 2015 and where the country is now.

    “Today our foreign reserves has gone up from 24 billion dollars to 42 billion dollars and this is the highest level in the last four years.

    “Inflation has been brought down in the last months.

    “Before we came, Treasury Single Account (TSA) was not implemenred and people put money in different accounts, we were losing about N108 billion to bank charges

    “Today, I am glad to say that with the implementation of TSA, we save monthly N24 billion from charges and about N120 billion from ghost workers,” he said.

    The Minister said that because of the discipline of the administration, it got the country out of recession and the Nigeria stock market had been adjudged one of the best performing in the world.

    The minister disclosed that as at December last year, the Federal Government has given about N1.9 trillion as bail out to states.

    He said many of the states had been so poorly managed that they could not pay the salaries of their workers which necessitated the intervention of the federal government.

    The Minister told the meeting that the Administration’ agricultural revolution is moving Nigeria close to self-sufficiency in many staples, especially rice.

    He said the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme had created jobs for 61,352 cooks, and it is providing 6.4million school children in 33,981 schools across 20 states with one meal a day.

    Mohammed said the administration inherited power generation of 2690 MW even when over 16 billion dollar had been spent on power reforms.

    He said with the efforts of the government, power generation has increased to 7,000 megawatts and the dministration’s is embarking on a massive infrastructural renewal.

    Mohammed said that Boko Haram had been massively degraded and the suicide attacks by the hitherto emboldened group were act of defeat and cowardice.

    He said the group leader, Abubakar Shekau had to disguise as a woman to escape when the heat was too much for him from the military in Sambisa.

    Fielding questions from the audience, the Minister assured that the government would address issues of Diaspora voting, illegal deportation of Nigerians among others.

    The host of the event and the new Nigeria Ambassador to Spain, Mrs Susan Folarin thanked the Minister and his entourage for the visit and holding the interactive session.

     

  • FG developing strategies to completely dismantle Boko Haram ideology – Lai Mohammed

    The Federal Government says it is developing narratives and communication strategies to completely dismantle and neutralise the Boko Haram violent ideology and messages.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the public presentation of the “Policy Framework and National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism.’’

    The minister said that although the terrorists had been defeated and now on the run, the challenge of countering their violent ideology remained.

    “We are committed to developing narratives and communication strategies that will completely dismantle and neutralise the Boko Haram ideology and messages.

    “Thanks to the leadership and political will demonstrated by President Muhammadu Buhari, which has served as a morale booster for our gallant men and women in uniform, Boko Haram has been decimated and put on the run by our gallant military.

    “The record of success is there for all to see: At least 30,000 hostages kidnapped by Boko Haram extremist group, including women and Children, have been rescued by the military.

    “More than 100 Chibok girls have so far been rescued.

    “The government is committed to the safe return of the remaining Chibok girls, while rehabilitating and reuniting them with their families and communities.

    “Sambisa Forest has become too hot for Boko Haram and they are now escaping to neighbouring communities.

    “Boko Haram is no longer able to carry out organised attacks. They hold no territory and their flag, which they were flying in Bama and other territories they used to occupy, has become a shroud.

    “But the challenge is for us to develop the strategies to counter the dangerous ideologies and messages being peddled by the extremists,” Mohammed said.

    He also said that government was not unmindful of structural conditions that made the environment conducive to the growth of violent extremism.

    He said the conditions included unemployment, poverty, lack of education, corruption, and other social-economic factors but that through various policies and programmes, government was addressing them on daily basis.

    The minister listed some of the programmes introduced by government to address them as the Anchor Borrowers programme, Home Grown School feeding Programme and the N-Power programme.

    All these, according to him, are to help build community resilience against the violent extremist group.

    Mohammed also said that as part of soft approach in tackling security challenges, the federal government was engaging in dialogue with different key stakeholders.

    He said that the engagement was to find “possible and lasting solutions to the issue of herder-farmer conflicts, which is one of the security challenges we face today.’’

    He, therefore, appealed to the media not to relent in the critical they play in the fight against violent extremism.

    “It is on this basis that I applaud the critical role which the Nigerian Media have played, and continue to play, in the fight against extremist groups in our country.

    “In spite of intimidation and attacks on some media outfits by Boko Haram, the Nigerian media stood firm and are still standing by the Nigerian people.

    “I encourage the media to sustain this momentum and to deny extremist groups the oxygen of publicity which they badly crave, until we collectively dismantle Boko Haram extremist ideologies through constructive alternative narratives.

    “I also encourage you to engage in a responsible use of the social media so that it doesn’t become a platform for spreading fear, hatred and violence, which are capable of tearing apart any society,’’ the minister said.

    He said concerted efforts were needed in building resilience against violent extremism, including efforts of women and girls, families, faith-based organisations, civil society organisations, media and social media influencers.

    According to him, political leaders, private sector, community leaders, artists and social mobilisers also have roles to play in that regard.

     

  • Sanction violators of Broadcast Code, Lai Mohammed tells NBC

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to sanction broadcasting organizations that violate the nation’s Broadcast Code, saying the serial violation of the code by many radio and television stations constitute a threat to national peace, security and unity.

    The Minister gave the directive while addressing participants at the DSO Stakeholders’ Retreat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Friday.

    ”As I have said on a number of occasions, this Administration will neither stifle press freedom nor tamper with freedom of expression. But it will also not condone a situation in which broadcast stations will set the nation on fire by ignoring the minimum standard as contained in the Broadcast Code.

    ”If we set the country on fire by our actions, none of us will escape the consequences. For those who may think this is far-fetched, let me remind them that a radio station, Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM), played a (catalytic) role during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide that left some 800,000 people dead,” he said.

    Alhaji Mohammed said the Broadcast Code was clear when it said in Section 0.2.1: ”Broadcasting shall influence society positively, setting the agenda for the social, cultural, economic, political and technological development of a nation, for the public good.”

    He also quoted three other relevant Sections of the Code: Section 3.1.2 (Materials likely to incite or encourage to the commission of a crime or lead to public disorder shall not be broadcast); Section 3.9.1 (Language or scene likely to encourage or incite to crime, or lead to disorder, shall not be broadcast) and Section 0.2.3g (Broadcasting shall be mindful of the degree of harm and offence likely to be caused by the inclusion of any material in programming, in general or in specific terms).

    ”Unfortunately, many of our broadcasters today are willfully flouting these critical Sections of the Code by broadcasting inciting materials and language that can encourage or incite crime or lead to disorder.

    The situation has become worse in recent times, in the wake of the Farmers/Herders’ clashes.

    ”The killings in Benue in the New Year are unfortunate, condemnable and unacceptable. But the coverage of the aftermath of the killings by many broadcast stations has shown a flagrant disregard for the Broadcast Code, lack of professionalism and outright irresponsibility. Many broadcast stations are guilty of this,” the Minister said.

    He added: ”For those who may want to misrepresent us, this is not a call for censorship, but a call for responsibility and total adherence to the Broadcast Code. Playing, over and over again, the footage of dead bodies in the aftermath of any crisis is capable of inciting public disorder. Rolling, time and time again, the footage of mass burial of victims of any crisis is equally inciting. Offering your platform to public commentators who use incendiary language or engage in ethnic-baiting is detrimental to national peace and unity.”

    Alhaji Mohammed commended the stakeholders for the success recorded in the Digital Switch Over (DSO) last year, saying it was a ”pleasant irony” that a year that was marked with bickering ended with DSO rollout in Kwara and Kaduna States within 48 hours.

    He said the momentum must be maintained by making the year 2018 the most successful yet in the country’s digitization process.

    ”This retreat is therefore highly commendable, as it provides the stakeholders the opportunity to take a holistic look at the whole process and come out with the way forward. I have no doubt that the retreat, coming so early in the year, will have a positive impact on the DSO process, and speed up our rollout in the new year,” the Minister said.