Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has appreciated Permanent Secretaries that worked with him, the CEOs of Ministry agencies, Directors, Deputy Directors, Assistant Directors and indeed all staffers for their support during his tenure in office.
Alhaji Mohammed who assumed office after being sworn-in by the President, Muhammadu Buhari on Nov 11th 2015, expressed gratitude during the Send off celebration in Abuja on Friday, believed that they have done their best in service to the nation, for the benefit of the people and to the glory of God.
The ex-Minister said he served at period marked by great challenges and great opportunities. “While we jointly tackled challenges headlong, we made the best of opportunities. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support and cooperation of the staff of the ministry as well as of its agencies, for which I am most appreciative.
According to him, “This gathering marks the end of an era, which started on Nov. 11th 2015 when I assumed office after being sworn into office by Mr. President.
“If I am correct, this is the longest period anyone has served as Minister of Information and Culture. I believe this is a testament to the confidence reposed in me by Mr. President, for which I am most grateful”, Alhaji Mohammed appreciated.
He boldly said that the Ministry lived up to its mandate, management of the image, reputation and promotion of the culture of the people and government of Nigeria through a dynamic public information system that facilitates access by citizens and the global community to credible and timely information.
“We enhanced citizens’ participation in governance by instituting the Town Hall Meeting series. We kept Nigerians informed of the developments in govt through regular media interactions.
“We projected the achievements of the Administration by instituting the Scorecard Series that included presentations by Honourable Ministers, Testimonies by ordinary Nigerians, Documentaries and a Compendium of all the presentations.
“We ensured the documentation of all the achievements for posterity via an electronic portal. This means you can access all the achievements by visiting the portal, pmbscorecard.gov.ng. This has never been done before”, he said.
Alhaji Mohammed said further, “Since they say seeing is believing, we regularly took the media on a tour of government projects across the country, so they can in turn report to Nigerias what they have seen. We regularly interacted with the international media to correct misconceptions, provide background briefings and ensure an unfettered
information flow.
“We succeeded in reassuring the world that despite our security challenges, Nigeria is safe for business and leisure, and this paid off with our hosting of four international events in our time; the IPI Congress, UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Week, UNWTO CAF Meeting and the inaugural edition of the UNWTO Global Conference onTourism, Culture and the Creative Industry.
“We blazed the trail in the retrieval of our timeless artefacts from those who looted them, and our model is being followed by many countries around the world”, the ex-Minister added.
He urged the Ministry staff to extend to his successor the same warm cooperation that they gave him and his team during his tenure, while thanked the President for finding him worthy to hold this office for a record-breaking tenure.
“Buhari’s unflinching support was indispensable for the successful execution of our mandate”, Alhaji Mohammed hailed.
The ex-Minister thanked his family for standing by him and for enduring long periods of his absence. “Above all, I want to thank God for charting our path, for giving us health and for keeping us all through the years”.