Former Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed has explained that his appointment by the late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 stemmed from years of trust, shared political convictions, loyalty and service, not a single moment, according to an account in his newly launched book.
The book, Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration, was unveiled in Abuja on December 17, 2025, to coincide with what would have been Buhari’s 83rd birthday.
Mohammed, who served in Buhari’s cabinet for nearly eight years under the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, said the former president took time to name his cabinet after his May 29, 2015 inauguration.
However, Buhari demonstrated confidence in him by personally appointing him to the Ahmed Joda-led Transition Committee in April 2015, even after its members had been announced.
The committee was tasked with liaising with the outgoing Goodluck Jonathan administration to review handover notes and prepare a blueprint for the incoming government.
In the book, Mohammed recounts a telephone conversation that marked the beginning of his close working relationship with Buhari, explaining how the president-elect called him directly to join the transition team.
“…Within the hour, I received a call from Tunde who asked where he should deliver the letter appointing me to the transition committee,” he wrote.
Mohammed said he did not feel slighted when his name was initially omitted from the committee, but was simply pleased that the APC had won the election.
He described Buhari’s personal intervention as the start of a “very cordial and special relationship” that endured until the former president’s death on July 13, 2025.
The former minister traced his political relationship with Buhari back to 2012, when he asked Buhari, through Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, to write the foreword to his first book, Witness to History. Buhari agreed and attended the launch, laying the foundation for future collaboration.
Their next major interaction came during the lead-up to the 2015 general election, after the merger that formed the APC, when Mohammed, then opposition spokesman for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and later the APC, regularly attended strategic meetings with Buhari in Kaduna alongside political figures including President Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande. These meetings were typically held on Mondays and Thursdays, he said.
Mohammed wrote that these long-standing engagements, rooted in mutual respect and aligned political ideals, formed the foundation for the confidence Buhari later placed in him as a cabinet 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,” he said.
The book provides an insider’s perspective on governance and communication strategies during the Buhari era, and highlights the personal and professional bonds that shaped key appointments in 2015 and sustained Mohammed’s tenure.
