A former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said he nearly resigned from office during what he described as the most difficult period of the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mohammed, who served two terms in Buhari’s cabinet, made the disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja at the launch of his book: “Headlines & Soundbites: Media Moments That Defined an Administration”.
He said, “The toughest decision I took as minister was at a moment when I almost resigned,” noting that his prolonged access to government decision-making placed a responsibility on him to preserve an accurate historical record and correct long-standing misconceptions.
He explained that the book offered an insider account of how narratives of the Buhari administration were shaped, defended and communicated, often amid crises, misinformation and intense public scrutiny.
He said, “For almost eight years, I was at the centre of government communication, crisis management, national orientation, culture and tourism. I saw how decisions were made and how misinformation often overshadowed facts.”
He added that the decision to document his experience was driven by his belief that Africans must tell their own stories or risk having their histories distorted.
The publication, he said, was written to provide context, correct misconceptions and offer firsthand insights from his years in office.
Reviewing the book, a former presidential spokesman, Mr Segun Adeniyi, noted that some controversial issues such as the Twitter suspension and the #EndSARS protests were treated in a manner that read more like legal briefs than balanced historical narratives.
Also speaking, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, commended Lai Mohammed’s contributions, describing him as one of the most criticised ministers under the Buhari administration due to his role in defending government policies.
Halima Buhari, a daughter of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, has said her father was fully aware of the criticisms against his administration while he was in power.
Halima, who represented the former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, said, “He heard both the disappointment of critics and the appreciation of supporters.”
