Lifestyle, Politics

Insecurity: The worst is over. Nigeria is safe – Lai Mohammed

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Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said that Nigeria is ‘safer today than at any time in recent times,’ as the worst is over as far as insecurity is concerned.

The Minister said this when he spoke at a Ministerial Session at the ongoing UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week.

According to him, the military and other security agencies are up to the task of protecting Nigerians and non-citizens.

“I can assure all that our military and other security agencies have continued to do everything possible to secure and protect Nigerians and foreigners living in Nigeria.

Terrorists have been hard hit and put on the run. Bandits have been decimated and scattered. Our country is safer today than at any time in recent times, thanks to the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform.

Nigerians too should continue to be alert but must not panic. Like I said in a recent statement, as far as insecurity is concerned, the worst is over for Nigeria.”

Mohammed also said some media outlets and social media personalities, spread unverified information on their platforms just for ‘clickbait.’

“Talking of clickbait, this may be what informed the spread of the supposed security alert issued recently by some foreign embassies in Nigeria.”

One would imagine that if indeed this kind of security alert was issued, it was for the attention of citizens of the issuing countries in Nigeria.

Suddenly, this alert found its way into the media, both new and traditional, thus creating panic in the polity.

Schools were shut, businesses were closed, travel plans were altered, lives were disrupted. No one cared to find out about the authenticity of these alerts.

They just published, got the benefit of massive clickbait and damned the consequences.”he said

Politics

‘Anti-graft war a marathon, not a sprint,’ Lai Mohammed tells Nigerians

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The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said on Thursday President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was doing well in its fight against corruption despite criticisms by Nigerians.

The Transparency International recently ranked Nigeria very low in its corruption perception index.

Mohammed, who stated this at a media briefing in Abuja, noted that the administration had implemented policies to fight corruption and ensure accountability.

He likened the fight against corruption to a marathon, saying graft was one difficult problem the government has been grappling with.

The minister said: “As you are aware, one of the three major policy planks of this administration is the fight against corruption, with the others, of course, being to tackle insecurity and also to revamp the economy. We will be having a series of thematic press conferences on these issues in the days ahead, with this one — on the fight against corruption — being the first one.

“It is common knowledge that one of the most difficult tasks for any government is to fight corruption because when you fight corruption, corruption will fight you back. This explains why naysayers have continued to belittle or dismiss the administration’s anti-corruption efforts.

“Let me say here that fighting corruption is a marathon, and never a sprint. Also, investigations, arrests, prosecutions and asset forfeiture — which are the immediate, visible indices by which many measure success in tackling corruption, constitute as important as they are, just a part of the strategies to combat corruption. There is also a more fundamental strategy, which I will describe as structural and governance reforms or if you like, institutional reforms.

“The Buhari administration has taken bold measures to streamline cumbersome bureaucratic processes in the implementation of government policies, check corrupt practices and ensure accountability in the implementation as well as delivery of these policies.”

Politics

Lai Mohammed counsels tertiary institutions on ways to address infrastructural decay

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The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has called on universities, polytechnics, and other tertiary institutions across the country to embrace Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in addressing infrastructural decay.

Mohammed made the call on Tuesday at the unveiling of refurbished and equipped Lecture Theatres at the Faculty of Science at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Mohammed, who was represented by Mr Buki Ponle, the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said in spite of governments’ efforts, there is still a discernible infrastructure gap across the nation’s tertiary institutions.

According to the minister, many structures and facilities on campuses are today in decay due to neglect over the years.

”The president advised Nigerian universities to find creative ways of exploiting the existing Public-Private Partnership policy to meaningfully bridge the infrastructure gaps existing on their campuses,” the minister said.

Infrastructure decadence in a major challenge faced by most government-owned tertiary institutions in Nigeria, resulting in incessant strike actions by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, as well as other unions and organisations in tertiary institutions.

Almost all of ASUU strikes border, among other issues, on the provision of funds for the revitalisation of dilapidated infrastructure (hostel accommodation, befitting lecture theatres, state-of-the-art laboratories and good working environment for lecturers).

According to Dataphyte, ASUU has had 15 strikes summing up to about 45 months since 1999. The last strike lasted almost a year.

World News

Lagos #EndSARS report is fake news, tales by moonlight – Lai Mohammed

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Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohamed, has dismissed the EndSARS report submitted by the Lagos judicial panel of inquiry on restitution for victims of SARS related abuses and other matters as an “intimidation of the majority by a minority”.

Mohammed in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, claimed the report did not follow the evidence at hand.

According to him, the Lagos Judicial panel shockingly compiled and submitted allegations made by Nigerians.

The nine-member panel had in its leaked report indicted soldiers and policemen for shooting, killing and maiming protesters at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.

However, the minister described the allegations as “tales by moonlight” riddled with so many errors, inconsistencies, discrepancies, speculations, innuendos, omissions, and conclusions that are not supported by evidence

The statement reads in part: “There’s absolutely nothing in the report that is circulating to make us change our minds that there was a massacre in Lekki on October 20, 2020.

“Without mincing words, let me say that never in the history of any Judicial Panel in this country has its report been riddled with so many errors, inconsistencies, discrepancies, speculations, innuendos, omissions, and conclusions that are not supported by evidence. What is circulating in public space is simply a rehash of the unverified fake news that has been playing on social media since the incident of October.

“It is simply incredible that a Judicial Panel set up to investigate an incident has submitted a report laden with allegations, the same allegations it was set up to investigate in the first instance. Instead of sitting for all of one year, the panel could have just compiled social media ‘tales by the moonlight’ on the incident and submitted, saving taxpayers’ funds and everyone’s time. That report is nothing but the triumph of fake news and the intimidation of a silent majority by a vociferous lynch mob.”

Lai Mohammed noted that the report of the panel in circulation cannot be relied upon because its authenticity is in doubt, adding that the Lagos State Government, being the convening authority, is yet to release any official report to the public.

“The cowardly leakage of an unsigned report to the public is not enough. Assuming the report in circulation bears any iota of genuineness, it is basic knowledge that the report of such a panel is of no force until the convening authority issues a White Paper and Gazette on it. It is therefore too premature for any person or entity to seek to castigate the Federal Government and its agencies or officials based on such an unofficial and invalidated report,” he said.

Entertainment

#EndSARS report: ”You can’t clean innocent blood with Lie Mohammed” – Burna Boy

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Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, Damini Ogulu also known as Burna Boy has reacted to the Lagos State Judicial Panel report on the activities of SARS and other related offences which confirmed the October 20, 2020 incident at the Lekki toll gate as a massacre.

The Panel submitted a 309-page report to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state on Monday, indicting the Nigerian Army and Police of having killed and maimed unarmed youths protesting police brutality and bad governance in Nigeria.

Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, had however on numerous occasions denied the massacre, insisting that no one was killed during the invasion of Lekki toll gate.

Reacting via his Instagram story, Burna Boy stated that he woke up to see that government’s lies have been exposed.

He wrote; ”I just sleep wake up see say government nyash open far and wide today.

”You cannot clean innocent blood with Lie Mohammed”

See his post below:

Politics

Omokri slams Minister, Lai, over real reason behind Lagos-Benin border closure

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A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri has slammed the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed over the reasons behind the closure of the country’s land borders with the Benin Republic.

According to Omokri, this decision was made by the Federal Government in order to railroad Benin Republic into handing over the Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Igboho for prosecution.

In a series of tweets on Thursday, he also stated that the reports that the FG closed the borders in order to redress the menace of smuggling is a lie.

Omokri wrote: “Buhari claims he closed the Benin Republic-Nigeria border because of banditry.

“That is a lie from the mouth of Lai Mohammed. The real reason behind the closure is to pressure the Beninese government to hand over Igboho to him.”

Igboho was arrested with his wife in Benin Republic and is currently undergoing trial while.gis wife has been released.

Lifestyle

World War III will be caused by fake news – Lai Mohammed

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Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Monday, stated that fake news will be the cause of the third World War.

He made the statement while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values to defend his ministry’s 2022 budget allocation.

According to Mohammed, the means of receiving information has changed over the decades, as 30 years ago it was through Television and radio sets, but people now prefer to patronise social media where fake news circulates easily.

The minister said; “The people today, they don’t read newspapers and don’t watch television — it’s social media. And it is most expensive; the most unseen enemy, they are there every moment.

I have always said here that the next world war will be caused by fake news.

“You can see even the US that use to pride itself on the freedom of the press is now questioning the role of the social media”.

Lifestyle

#EndSARS: Lekki massacre fake, CNN lied – Lai Mohammed

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Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has described the Lekki toll gate massacre of October last year as false.

He stated this in a statement on Wednesday tagged: “Phantom Massacre at Lekki tollgate” to mark the one-year anniversary of the protest.

Mohammed said the narrative by CNN that Nigerian soldiers massacred protesters at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos State on October 20, 2020 was ‘fake news’.

The minister also accused Amnesty International of speculating fake news regarding the EndSARS massacre at Lekki Tollgate.

He: “Today marks the first anniversary of the phantom massacre at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, which was the culmination of an otherwise peaceful protest that was later hijacked by hoodlums. At earlier press conferences, I had called the reported massacre at the toll gate the first massacre in the world without blood or bodies.

“One year later, and despite ample opportunities for the families of those allegedly killed and those alleging a massacre to present evidence, there has been none: No bodies, no families, no convincing evidence, nothing. Where are the families of those who were reportedly killed at the toll gate? Did they show up at the Judicial Panel of Inquiry? If not, why?

Sadly, the champions of a massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate, including Amnesty International and CNN, have continued to shamelessly hold on to their unproven stand. Recall, gentlemen, that after bandying different figures, Amnesty International finally settled at about 12 people killed.

“On its part, CNN went from 38 people killed to two to just one, after a supposed global exclusive even when the network had no reporter on ground at the Lekki Toll Gate on Oct. 20th, 2020.

On Monday, the Judicial Panel of Inquiry that was set up by the Lagos State Government after the EndSARS protest wrapped up its sitting. During the sitting, CNN was summoned but it never showed up, thus missing a great opportunity to prove its allegation of massacre at the toll gate.”

Also, Amnesty International had a golden opportunity to convince the world, but it rather opted for issuing meaningless press releases.

“In its latest attempt to grasp at straws and redeem whatever is left of its battered credibility on this issue, CNN has continued with its baseless report that soldiers shot at protesters.”

Politics

Buhari tolerant, perfect for Nigeria – Lai Mohammed

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The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Friday, praised President Muhammadu Buhari for his tolerance and understanding in the handling of Nigeria’s affairs since he assumed office in 2015.

Mohammed, who addressed a delegation of the African Union Development Agency–NEPAP and Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), who visited him in Abuja, said with the myriad of challenges rocking the country, it would only take a President with “wisdom and special style” like Buhari to rule the country.

He said: “The kind of challenges we faced in the last six years would challenge the most resourceful person. This is a country of about 200 million people, over 500 ethnic groups and tongues, and people with different aspirations, religions, and beliefs.

Running a country like Nigeria is like running a mini-continent and this is why I want to salute the tolerance, wisdom, and peculiar governance style of Mr. President.

I say this because, in the last six years, I have been attending the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings. The President will, on any issue, listen to the submissions of all the 43 ministers if they want to make contributions to any issue without betraying where he stands on the matter.

“Even when we know that some of our colleagues are not making so much sense on a topic, the President will listen attentively and will say thank you at the end of the contributions.

“I believe that it is his background and experience that moulded him that way and till date, you cannot see any minister that will say his view was never heard. No matter how pedestal it might be, the President will listen.

Politics

Lai Mohammed cautions prominent Nigerians against divisive utterances

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The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has admonished political, religious leaders, and opinion moulders to stop spewing incendiary rhetoric capable of setting the country ablaze.

Muhammed gave the admonition during a conference on Wednesday in Sal Island, Cape Verde.

The minister was in Cape Verde to attend the 64th Conference of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Commission for Africa and the Second Edition of the UNWTO Global Tourism Investment Forum.

Speaking on the responsibilities of the media, the minister warned broadcast stations, which are the purveyors of incendiary rhetoric, to abide by broadcast codes and other regulations guiding them.

In the last few weeks, the country has been awash, especially from the broadcast media, with very incendiary rhetoric which has created a sort of panic in Nigeria.

The incendiary rhetoric that comes from political, religious leaders and some opinions have the capacity to set the country on fire.

“This is because the rhetoric is pitting one ethnic group and religion against the other and overheating the polity.

“Our serious counsel to stakeholders is that they should understand and remember that leadership comes with a lot of responsibilities, tone down the hateful rhetoric because they are harmful to the country

“They should remember that every war is preceded by these kinds of mindless rhetoric, especially when it comes from otherwise responsible people who the people have the tendency to take seriously,’’ he said.

Politics

Lai Mohammed leads team to meet Twitter over suspension

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President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a Federal Government team to engage with Twitter over the recent suspension of the company’s operations in Nigeria.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who will chair the team, announced the approval in a statement on Tuesday, June 21.

The Federal Government’s team also comprises the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.

Others are; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo as well as other relevant government agencies.

Following the indefinite suspension of its Twitter’s operations in Nigeria for ”activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”, the US-based firm wrote to President Buhari seeking to engage with the Federal Government over the suspension, with a view to charting a path forward.

Politics

Twitter is Nnamdi Kanu’s platform to destabilise Nigeria, says Lai Mohammed

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Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said Twitter is the social media platform of choice for the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, to “destabilise Nigeria”.

Mohammed made this known during an interview with BBC News Africa on Monday evening .

The minister, while defending the Federal Government’s Twitter ban, maintained that the administration won’t allow any separatist set the country on fire.

He said; “The government has suspended indefinitely the operations of Twitter in Nigeria because of the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

The government also directed the regulatory agency which is the National Broadcasting Commission to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.

“The main reason for this is because of the persistent use of Twitter in particular for activities that are inimical to the corporate existence of Nigeria.”

Mohammed added, “IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu in particular, his platform of choice to destabilise the country is Twitter.

“Twitter is actually the platform of choice for the separatist leader who resides outside Nigeria but issues directives for his members to attack the symbols of authority such as policemen, soldiers, correctional centres, electoral offices and this has been done willfully and consistently without consequences using always the Twitter platform.”

Politics

House of Reps summon Lai Mohammed over Twitter ban

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The House of Representatives on Tuesday, summoned the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed over the suspension of Twitter’s operations in Nigeria.

Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila announced the summon on Tuesday morning during plenary.

A joint committee of the House, Commerce, Information and National Ethics, and Justice, was mandated to carry out an investigation within 10 days.

Gbajabiamila said; “The House of Representatives recognises that Twitter, like other social media networks, is an important tool for communication and commerce in Nigeria, particularly amongst the younger generation who have used these networks for enterprise and innovation with great success.

It is in service of our obligations under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and our moral duty to the Nigerian people, that the leadership of the House has decided to mandate the House Committees on Communication, Justice, Information and Culture, and National Security and Intelligence to immediately commence an investigation to determine the circumstances of the decision by the Federal Government of Nigeria to suspend the operations of Twitter in Nigeria, and the legal authority for the ban on the operations of Twitter in Nigeria.

“The Committees are additionally mandated to invite the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed to brief the House of Representatives on the objectives, intent, and duration of the suspension on the operations of Twitter in Nigeria, and to report to the House within ten days.”

Politics

Lai Mohammed bemoans ‘unfair’ assessment of Buhari’s administration

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The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has rejected the assessment of the Buhari administration by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC).

Reacting to the current rating by CISLAC on Wednesday, March 24, Mohammed described it as unfair and unacceptable.

CISLAC, a non-governmental organisation, had on March 23, held a press briefing in Abuja where it allegedly accused the Buhari-led administration of lack of transparency in the recovery of stolen assets.

However, fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday, the minister dismissed CISLAC’s accusation, saying the assessment is not truly a reflection of the realities on ground.

He said: “I think that I’m aware of that particular rating which was not quite flattering to Nigeria, but our position, which I’ve declared before is that that rating does not truly reflect the great strides that the administration has made in the area of fighting corruption.

The government has put in place various reforms in fighting corruption, but some of these reforms will take time to yield the desired results because the matrix used by TI is not just about grafts alone.

It includes how transparent or how opaque the services are and you’ll find out that when we scored in the 2018, 2019 transparency reports, we realised that we scored very low in the area of ease of doing business in particular.’’

The minister stated that the Federal Government had embarked on various reforms aimed at tackling cases of corrupt practices in both private and public sectors of the economy to improve the country’s rating by the Transparency International (TI).

“That is why the federal government embarked on reforms, especially at the seaports, because that is one area where we scored very low”.

Politics

Kwara APC youths call for sack of Lai Mohammed

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The youth wing of the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), under the aegis of APC Youth Stakeholders, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, for not performing to expectations.

The youth stakeholders were reacting to the impasse between the minister and the state governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, leading to his (Mohammed’s) call for the cancellation of the ongoing registration and revalidation of the party.

Tiamiyu Mumini, the chairman of the youth forum, while addressing journalists at a news conference in Ilorin, the state capital on Wednesday, said the minister is a “self-serving politician who should not be allowed to continue his selfish politicking to the detriment of the state.”

This is a man who surrounds himself with aides who are non Kwarans. He stubbornly refused to pick Kwarans as aides, perhaps that is why he is far from the realities on ground,” he began.

“We want him removed because he cannot have his son in the Lagos House of Assembly while he ventures on mortgaging the future of Kwara State youths by causing chaos in the ruling party.

“Instead of supporting his home state government, he is using his influence as a federal minister to scuttle well-planned projects and programmes being executed.

We are making moves for the suspension of Alhaji Lai Mohammed from APC for rubbishing the membership registration exercise in which more than 100,000 people have registered in each of the 193 wards in the state and if President Muhammadu Buhari refuses to remove him, we are taking steps to expel him from APC,” Mumini concluded.

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