Nigerians will appreciate Tinubu’s reforms with time- Lai Mohammed

By Philippine Duru

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Former Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has expressed support for the reform agenda of President Bola Tinubu, saying the policies, though initially unpopular, are necessary for Nigeria’s long-term development and will eventually earn public appreciation.

Mohammed stated this on Friday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from Bingham University, the United Nations Association-Nigeria (UNA-N), and the Institute of Leadership and Development Communication (ILDC), led by the Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Bingham University, Karu, Prof. Desmond Okocha.

According to the former minister, many of the government’s reforms have attracted criticism because of their immediate impact on citizens, but he maintained that Nigerians would ultimately recognise their benefits.

He also lamented what he described as the declining values of loyalty, integrity and professionalism in Nigeria’s political system, warning that the trend poses a threat to the country’s democratic development.

Speaking on governance and political communication, Mohammed said Nigeria has consistently failed to harness the expertise of academics, former public office holders and communication professionals in shaping effective governance.

He argued that successive administrations, including those before the Muhammadu Buhari government, paid insufficient attention to political communication, attributing the situation to ignorance and negligence.

According to him, the failure to communicate government policies effectively has often worsened national crises and weakened public confidence in government.

“As a Minister of Information, you must be in a position to dominate your environment. This is the essence of political communication. It is so important that you cannot afford to be reactive all of the time,” he said.

Mohammed cited the handling of the EndSARS protests, the Dapchi schoolgirls’ abduction, the Process and Industrial Developments (P&ID) arbitration dispute and the counter-insurgency campaign under the Buhari administration as examples of situations where strategic communication played a critical role.

He urged government spokespersons to be more proactive, courageous and deeply involved in governance rather than focusing on issues of lesser significance.

Reflecting on the 2015 general election, the former minister said the then-opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the communication arena before securing victory at the polls.

He maintained that the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan lost the battle in the court of public opinion rather than on policy implementation.

“You campaign in poetry but you run government in prose,” Mohammed said, stressing that political communication remains essential for any government seeking to retain public trust.

He recalled how the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) successfully deployed communication strategies to strengthen its political influence in Lagos and the South-West.

On party politics, Mohammed expressed concern over what he described as the erosion of party supremacy and professionalism, saying frequent defections by politicians after elections have weakened Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

He called on political actors to remain committed to their parties regardless of electoral outcomes and work towards building enduring political structures instead of pursuing personal interests.

The former minister also welcomed a proposed partnership involving Bingham University, UNA-N and ILDC aimed at developing future leaders, strengthening political communication and bridging the gap between academia and society.

He pledged his support for initiatives that would improve leadership recruitment and governance in Nigeria.

The visit featured the presentation of an Award of Excellence to Mohammed by the Institute of Leadership and Development Communication (ILDC). The delegation also formally invited him to the professorial thanksgiving of Prof. Desmond Okocha, scheduled to hold in Abuja on August 15, 2026.