Is Lai Mohammed Really ''Liar'' Mohammed, as some
of his political opponents claim?
If you believe in failed propaganda, maybe: for
recourse to that libel is from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) camp, that
the minister of Information and Culture helped to uproot, with PDP's defeat at
the 2015 general election.
But if you believe in effective propaganda, that
cannot be true. What, for instance, is a
'lie' about the changed reality of opposition becoming government; and the
former government screeching, like morose children who just lost their favorite
lollies?
Well, it is all in the realm of political
communication, and the fierce battle, for the public mind, by conflicting
political camps.
Political communication has been defined by David
L. Swanson and Dan Nimmo as "the strategic use of communication to
influence public knowledge, beliefs, and action on political matters."
They
emphasize the strategic nature of political communication, highlighting the
role of persuasion in political discourse. Another American political
commentator, Brian McNair provides a similar definition when he writes that
political communication is "purposeful communication about politics."
The words
‘strategic and purposeful’ here provide the thought process for the complex
nature of communication within any given political space.
In the light of the above, I will attempt to
x-ray the roles played by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, former spokesman for the ruling
party, the All Progressives Congress, whose hard work, resilience and
dedication earned him the enviable position of the Minister of Information and
Culture in Nigeria.
Clearly,
no one was in doubt whether Alhaji Lai Mohammed would emerge as the Minister of
Information in Nigeria. If there was any credential required to be nominated as
one, he has acquired all-academically and professionally.
Little do some of Mohammed’s detractors know that
he practiced public relations for over a decade while working with Nigerian
Airports Authority, now Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) as the
Public Relations Officer of the organization.
Mohammed, I should say, was well grounded in the
media and so it did not come as surprise to some of us that he performed very
well in the task of marketing the All Progressives Congress (APC), using
various media channels to lead narratives, manage shortfalls and sometimes,
propagate with a view of getting results for his political party.
Mohammed
did very well as a party man. His party’s activities, coupled with the quality
of the Presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, provided a great impetus for
this information manager. I remember how hard the Peoples Democratic Party
tried to make President Buhari, then a candidate, appear unelectable. It was
Lai Mohammed and others in the media and communication team that worked
tirelessly to ensure the victory that the APC enjoys today.
It is
worrisome to read some write-up, particularly by someone who should understand
the subject of discussion but who chooses to ignore facts of the matter and is
eventually playing to the gallery, on why President Buhari should fire Lai
Mohammed. Nothing more could be laughable than a man who has failed in every
area of his personal endeavour attempting to mentor the younger ones on how to
run their lives.
I read one
or two pieces and without any iota of doubt, I concluded that they must be a
hatchet job. The language, the uncoordinated thought and lack of facts as
presented by these writers made it clear that they or their principals are
clearly not comfortable with the role that the Minister of Information is
performing with regard to the fight against corruption.
It is
pertinent to ask, why should Buhari fire Mohammed? One of the writers says the
Minister is no longer believable. He cites commentaries on the social media
platform, where some described the Minister as Liar Mohammed.
May we remind the writer that it did not start
today! The labelling of Mohammed was made popular by the PDP, at the twilight
of President Jonathan’s administration. This is because, at the time, the PDP
did not have a solution to the barrage of political attacks unleashed on them
on a daily basis by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, especially on the level of corruption
and heist perpetrated by the Jonathan administration and the PDP. The only answer they found convenient at the
time was that Mohammed was a liar. But today, millions of Nigerians know who
was the lie, and who was the real deal.
There are
two, most significant issues in Nigeria today. They are corruption and
insurgency. Mohammed has successfully pushed the issue of insurgency to the
back pages of newspapers and has played up the need to have a corruption-free
society.
Is it a lie now that Boko Haram has been
thoroughly degraded? No, it is not, if you ask me. When last did you read on
the front page of any newspapers, the usual screaming headlines about Boko
Haram’s nefarious activities that characterized the Goodluck Jonathan
administration?
No country in the world has been able to
completely win the war against insurgency. Not even the United States of
America has been able to defeat the dreaded Islamic States (ISIS). But the Nigerian Army has been able to reduce
the activities of Boko Haram to suicide bombings, hitting soft targets only.
We can safely say that Lai Mohammed was right
when he said that the Nigerian Army had technically defeated Boko Haram.
Except one is being mischievous, or one was
benefitting directly or indirectly from the Boko Haram insurgency, it is safe
to agree that the group was defeated by the Nigerian Army before the deadline
set for them by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Managing information in a complex political
situation or atmosphere like Nigeria where corruption has become second nature
within the political class, and mischief is never in short supply, can be a
daunting task.
Gboyega
Akosile, a Journalist, works with an24.net, an online news publication.
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