Welcome Back, Lai Mohammed

There is a every need to welcome the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, back to his responsibility again. The minister who had for some time surprisingly maintained his silence, had last week said naysayers who attempted to play down the achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration would be left “breathless.”

Mohammed, who spoke in Abuja at the first edition of the government’s new series titled ‘PMB Administration Scorecard 2015-2023’, designed to show off the achievements of the Buhari administration since he came into power in 2015, said the decision to highlight the administration’s achievements was necessary owing to the fact that the tenure’s end was near.

The minister’s comments come about a month after Buhari said those he appointed to be telling Nigerians about the achievements of his administration were not doing so. He said considering the available resources when his administration came into power, the current government had performed “extremely” well.

Mohammed, who was very vocal and vociferous before and immediately after the Buhari came to power, blaming all the woes of Nigeria on the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, had suddenly disappeared from the radar when Nigerians were expressing frustration with the government. At a point, many Nigerians were wondering if he was still in the current government.

How breathless does the minister think Nigerians would be when they release the ‘PMB Administration Scorecard 2015-2023’ when the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has already apologised to them for the hardships they are facing due to her husband’s maladministration and wrong policies?

Many believe that Mohammed does not know what to tell Nigerians any longer because the record of the government he serves is there for all to see. Today, after Buhari’s over seven years in office, Nigeria is battling untamed inflation, lack of improvement in power to boost the economy, energy crises, large-scale unemployment, insecurity and foreign exchange crisis.

One immediate fallout of this is the regime’s corrupt-laden policies as exemplified in the controversial fuel subsidy programme, which has continued to deny Nigerians of the much-needed fund for development projects.

Based on his perceived lies and misunderstanding with his governor, Mohammed was rendered inconsequential in the politics of his state, Kwara. Outside Kwara State, one of the biggest embarrassments he suffered in recent months was the failed return bid of his son to the Lagos State House of Assembly.