A former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has attributed his appointment by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 to years of trust, shared convictions, loyalty and service, rather than a single incident.
Mohammed, who served as information minister for almost eight years under Buhari, made this known in his book, Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration.
The book was presented in Abuja on Dec. 17, 2025, to coincide with what would have been Buhari’s 83rd birthday, and documents Mohammed’s experiences while serving in the administration of the late president.
Recalling events after Buhari’s inauguration on May 29, 2015, Mohammed said it took some time before the former president constituted his cabinet.
He explained that because of the trust and confidence Buhari had in him, he was personally appointed to the Ahmed Joda-led Transition Committee in April 2015, even after other members of the committee had been announced.
The committee, he said, was mandated to liaise with the outgoing administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan to review handover notes and prepare a blueprint for the incoming government.
Mohammed narrated the telephone conversation that preceded his appointment, saying: “‘Hello,’ the voice on the line said. ‘Is this Alhaji Lai Mohammed?’ I answered in the affirmative. ‘Hold on for Mr President,’ the voice said.
“Then another voice, apparently that of the President-elect, came on the line and asked: ‘Lai, where are you?’
“‘Your Excellency, I am in Lagos.’
“‘What are you doing in Lagos?’ he asked.
“‘I live in Lagos, Your Excellency,’ I replied.
“He then went straight to the reason for the call: ‘Are you not coming for the inaugural meeting of the Transition Committee in Abuja tomorrow?’
“I replied, ‘Your Excellency, I am not a member of the committee.’ He then said, ‘Ok, Tunde (Sabiu, his longtime personal assistant) will call you,’ and he hung up.
“Within the hour, I received a call from Tunde, who asked where he should deliver the letter appointing me to the transition committee,” Mohammed wrote.
He said that when the transition committee was initially announced without his name, he did not feel slighted, but was simply happy that the party had won the election.
According to him, the personal appointment marked the beginning of a cordial and special relationship that lasted until Buhari’s death on July 13, 2025.
Mohammed also recalled that a few days before Buhari’s 100th day in office, a close confidant of the president asked him to assist the presidential spokesmen in preparation for the milestone.
At the time, Buhari had not appointed ministers, but had named Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu as his spokespersons.
“I did not need a soothsayer to tell me that the call was a further indication of the President’s confidence in me.
“The same confidant told me on another occasion that if there was anyone the President was very sure would make his cabinet and whose portfolio he was already sure of, that person was me,” he said.
Mohammed said his relationship with Buhari dated back to 2012, when he requested through Mallam Nasir el-Rufai that Buhari write the foreword to his first book, Witness to History.
He noted that Buhari not only agreed to write the foreword, but also attended the book launch.
The former minister said their next major interaction occurred during the build-up to the 2015 general election, following the merger that led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mohammed, who served as spokesman of the Action Congress of Nigeria and later the APC for more than a decade, said he regularly attended meetings with Buhari in Kaduna alongside President Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande.
According to him, the meetings were usually held on Mondays and Thursdays.
He said the long-standing interactions, built on mutual respect and shared political ideals, laid the foundation for the confidence Buhari later reposed in him as minister.
“Serving in Buhari’s administration for nearly eight years allowed me to witness firsthand the former President’s dedication to discipline, integrity, and national service—values that guided my own conduct in office,” Mohammed said.
