LIFE: Lai Mohammed, The Minister Who Will Make NTA Compete With CNN

While bidding 2020 a farewell, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said his only regret in the office is how some Nigerians have failed to appreciate that President Buhari’s administration is doing so much with very little resources.

 

This is not the first time, Lai Raufu Mohammed will be making such a statement. The minister may be the spokesperson for the Nigerian Government, but he is also more of an image-maker. And some have called him a propagandist for the president and the ruling party.

 

READ ALSO: Lai Mohammed Speaks On His Regret As Minister

 

Education and Career

 

Lai Mohammed was born December 6, 1952, into the family of Alhaji Mohammed Adekeye in Irepodun Local Government of Kwara State. He attended three schools for his elementary and secondary education including; Native Authority School, Igbaja, Baboko Ilorin and Government College, Keffi. He also attended Government Secondary School, Okene, Kogi State. 

 

Mohammed has two bachelor's degrees; Bachelor of Arts in French from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in 1975 and a Law degree from the University of Lagos in 1986 and proceeded to Nigeria Law School in the same year.

 

He served his fatherland under the program of National Youth Service Corp at Abeokuta at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

 

After three years of practice as a lawyer, Alhaji Lai Mohammed co-founded a legal firm named Edu & Mohammed as a senior partner. 

 

Branching away from the legal profession, Lai worked as the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Airport Authority now known as the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for almost 10 years.

 

He served as the Chairman of Optomedia limited, a subsidiary of Afromedia, the advertising giant known for billboards and outdoor advertising and he is currently a director at Afromedia.

 

READ ALSO: Lai Mohammed Accuses CNN Of Spreading Fake News, Doctoring Videos Used In Report

 

As a professional public relations officer and a legal expert, he is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and Nigeria Bar Association (NBA).

 

Political Journey.

Lai is a founding member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). He coordinated, the Bola Tinubu campaign organisation in 1998 and Chief of Staff to Lagos State Governor 1999-2002.

Following his resignation as Chief of Staff, Lai Mohammed joined the Gubernatorial race in Kwara State under the platform of Alliance for Democracy for the 2003 General Elections.

He was also National Publicity Secretary of the defunct Action Congress as well as the first National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressive Congress.

READ ALSO: We'll Not Shut Down The Internet, Lai Mohammed Insists On Social Media Regulation

Succeeding Senator Patricia Akwashik, Lai Mohammed was sworn in as Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture on November 11, 2015, and was returned to the same office after Buhari started his second term in 2019.

Family.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed got married to his wife, Alhaja Kudirat Adeoti Mohammed in 1979 after about three years of courtship. Their marriage is blessed with four children and several grandchildren in which one of his children -- Folajimi Mohammed -- is a lawmaker Representing Ikeja 1 at the Lagos State House of Assembly.

 

In February 2020, Lai Raufu Mohammed pledged to lead NTA into a new phase where it can compete with CNN. He is fondly known to hammer the danger of fake news and he is an advocate of Social media bills even though fact checks have found him wanting a number of times.