•My book to correct misinformation about Buhari years —Lai Mohammed

•As book reviewer faults ex-Information minister’s account on EndSARS protest •No intention to join APC —Makinde

HALIMA Buhari, daughter of the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, gave a startling revelation of the private moments of her late father after his exit from office.

Venue was the Yar’Adua Centre, in Abuja. The event was the presentation of a book, “Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments That Defined An Administration”, authored by former Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

Addressing the gathering of former ministers, ex-governors, an incumbent governor, traditional rulers and chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Halima revealed that the former President was aware that Nigerians, who nursed great hope and believed in Buhari’s capacity to restore sanity in all sectors of Nigerians’ lives, particularly the insecurity and bad shape of the economy, were disappointed by his performance.

Speaking like an insider in the seat of power, Halima, however, recalled the encumbrance her late father encountered as she noted that there was a wide gap between idealism and grip reality, particularly in a complex country like Nigeria.

She said: “Behind every soundbite, there was a human being; sometimes tired, sometimes determined, sometimes frustrated, always painfully aware that his decisions impacted millions of lives.

“That human being was our father. I saw a side of him that never appeared on television and was rarely captured in print.

“I saw the man who would sit quietly, listening more than he spoke. The man who worried about the security of ordinary people. The man who agonised over the gap between what was promised and what was possible.

“For the public, he was President Buhari. For us at home, he was simply ‘Baba.’ Leadership, especially in a country as complex as Nigeria, is never as straightforward as it looks from the outside.

“It involves trade-offs, compromises, and very often, imperfect choices. My father was not unaware of the criticism levelled against him. He knew that many Nigerians felt that more would have been done or done differently.

“He heard the voices of those who were disappointed, just as he heard the gratitude of those who felt their lives had improved.

“Our presence here today is not to rewrite that history or to insist on a single interpretation of his years in office. Nigerians will continue to debate his legacy as they should in a vibrant democracy.

“There will be books that praise, books that criticise, and books that will try to document. This particular book, written by someone who was in the inner circle of communication and messaging, provides one important perspective of how an administration must be shaped and sometimes challenged in the court of public opinion.”

In his remarks, the author, Lai Mohammed, declared that his motivation for writing the book was to give an accurate account of what happened during the Buhari years and correct misinformation already in public space.

He said: “My new book, ‘Headlines & Soundbites: Media Moments That Defined an Administration,” is my personal effort, as the longest-serving Minister of Information and Culture in Nigeria’s history, to document my work across all sectors under the ministry’s broad mandate: Information, Culture, Tourism and National Orientation.

“It is set within the wider context of how these efforts supported and shaped the policies of the Buhari administration and how they were communicated to the Nigerian public.

“For almost eight years, I was at the centre of government communication, crisis management, national orientation, culture and tourism. I saw firsthand how decisions were made, how narratives were shaped and how misinformation often overshadowed facts.

“This book, therefore, is about correcting misconceptions, providing context and sharing firsthand accounts – accounts that history must not forget.”

Chairman of ThisDay Editorial Board and book reviewer, Segun Adeniyi, who described the book as “historical document, policy defence, and occasionally, an extended rebuttal to both the critics of the Buhari administration and Alhaji Lai Mohammed himself”, however faulted the former minister’s account on the EndSARS protest as he refuted his claim that no lives were lost.

He said: “Chapter Fourteen, titled ‘#ENDSARS: A Massacre without Bodies’. That title alone demands scrutiny. Alhaji Lai devotes an entire chapter to arguing against what he characterises as the myth of a massacre at Lekki Tollgate on 20th October 2020. He may believe he is correcting the record, but the framing “a massacre without bodies” ignores the grief of families who lost loved ones during those protests, regardless of the specific number or precise circumstances.”

The judicial panel of inquiry set up by the Lagos State government documented deaths and injuries. To reduce this complex tragedy to a semantic argument about the definition of “massacre” is to miss the forest for the trees. As the late Dele Giwa reminded us, “One life taken in cold blood is as gruesome as millions lost in a pogrom.”

In his remarks, Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, called for an elite consensus to address the numerous challenges confronting the country.

He told the gathering that his appearance at the event should not be misconstrued as a subtle move to join the ruling party.

He said:”My experience is that Nigerians, ordinary Nigerians, they already have a consensus that they want to be Nigerians. But the elite, we the elite, we’re the ones dividing the country… this one is a Muslim, the other person, he is a Christian, or he is Yoruba.

“So I came here to say, well, this book, because I know the author, is a Nigerian who will attract all sorts of people across the divide. And that’s why I’m here.

“I’m not an APC, and I’m not about to fall into APC either. So we are here as Nigerians from across the divide. I believe we need an elite consensus just for improvement of our political situation.”

Among dignitaries that graced the event were former Osun State governor and pioneer Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande; Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaila Muhammadu Mera; former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika; former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, among others.

Leader of the Northern members Caucus in the House of Representatives, Honourable Ado Doguwa; former Chief of Staff to the President, Boss Mustapha (TRIBUNE).

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