Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has described himself as the most sued Minister in the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mohammed said this during a valedictory dinner held in his honour by the ministry and its parastatals as the curtain draws on the Buhari administration.
In an address at the dinner, Mohammed said that, excluding the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, who is represented or joined in cases against the Federal Government, he is the most sued minister.
The minister said that no fewer than 37 cases were filed against him and his office in the course of discharging his responsibilities.
He said that President Buhari on a monthly basis received demands for his (Mohammed’s) sack from different quarters.
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Mohammed, who is constantly vilified on social media, identified the EndSARS protest and the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria as the two most challenging incidents and actions that his office faced and had to manage and defend.
He said that some sections of the media “erroneously” tagged the October 20, 2020 incident at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos as a “massacre”, making it very difficult for his office to convince Nigerians and the global community that no life was lost.
Mohammed said that his assertion that no one died at the toll gate was vindicated by the fact that no one has come out to claim that their child, ward, or relative was killed in the incident.
He said that the Buhari administration was unjustly criticised locally and internationally over the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria, noting that the reason for the government’s action was misunderstood.
On his journey as minister since he first resumed office on November 11, 2015, Mohammed said, “I make bold to say that thanks to you all, we lived up to our mandate, which is the management of the image, reputation and promotion of the culture of the people and government of Nigeria.
“We did these through a dynamic public information system that facilitated access by citizens and the global community to credible and timely information.
“Among many achievements, 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 minister said.