The Minister of Information and Culture of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ahaji Lai Mohammed, will on October 17, 2018 be due in Chatham House, London, where he will speak on the importance of providing detailed and consistent information across Nigeria’s diverse population.
Titled, “Nigeria’s National Unity: Towards Participation and Shared Values,” Alhaji Mohammed will also discuss the priorities and challenges of the Ministry of Information and Culture in the facilitation of national unity ahead of the 2019 elections and beyond.
Mohammed’s address is coming amidst criticisms on the travel ban of 50 influential Nigerians through the Executive Order Six (EO6) by the presidency.
The address is coming at a time the politicians of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sacked from the corridors of power only three and a half years ago – on the grounds that they officially empowered corruption, encouraged insurgency and cross-country polarized unprecedented division of already cosmopolitan populace along ethnic and religion lines – are now seriously regrouping to return to power with what many described as all manner of misinformation and fake news to mislead the people within and outside Nigeria.
The government is believed to have done a lot saving the country from virtual collapse into the Republic of Boko Haram being point the country stood when it came on board, tackling corruption headlong despite many powerful offensives launched by #CorruptionFightBack crusades and fixing the nation’s damaged economy through diversification into agriculture and solid mineral development among others including paying attention to social welfare development that it has put in place in less than four years.
It is also believed that much as these are being done, the strong opposition from the sacked PDP now regrouping, after having scattered into the ranks of the ruling party frustrating its policies and programmes through disallowed Bills at parliament, have tried greatly to neutralize the government’s performance through allegedly sponsored killings by agents tagged ‘herdmen killers’, lack of cooperation with government by PDP owners of power distribution companies (DisCos) who make power supply seem to be inadequate despite achievement of megawatt level never achieved in history of Nigeria’s governance, among others.
The London event would provide Alhaji Lai Mohammed the opportunity, once more, to put the record straight as to the true situation of things in Nigeria and tell more of what is coming on the way for the good of the people of the country, a respondent told The DEFENDER.
Chatham House’s Programme Administrator, Africa Programme, Sahar Eljack, made the development known in a released schedule on Chatham House’s website.
“Nigeria’s federal system, consisting of 36 federal member states and the Federal Capital territory of Abuja, reflects at the national level, a diverse underlying range of cultural, religious and political intersections.
“This complex landscape demands a correspondingly dynamic set of mechanisms for the provision of information for both Nigeria’s citizens and globally: whether delivering vital details on public services to the population or helping to foster a sense of national unity.
“As the February 2019 elections approach, the delivery of credible information services looks certain to have significant implications for not only the participation and engagement of citizens, but for the consolidation of the democratic process in Nigeria more broadly.
“Hon. Alhaji Lai Mohammed will reflect on the importance of providing detailed and consistent information across Nigeria’s diverse population and will discuss his ministry’s priorities and challenges for the facilitation of national unity ahead of the 2019 elections and beyond,” Eljack said in the release.
