Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said his appointment by ex-President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 was not the result of a single event but the culmination of years of trust, shared values, loyalty and service.
Mohammed, who served nearly eight years as information minister under Buhari, made the disclosure in his book Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration. The book was presented in Abuja on December 17, 2025, to mark what would have been Buhari’s 83rd birthday, and it chronicles Mohammed’s experiences in government under the late president.
Reflecting on the period following Buhari’s inauguration on May 29, 2015, Mohammed noted that the former president took time before announcing his cabinet. However, due to the confidence Buhari had in him, Mohammed was personally appointed in April 2015 to the Transition Committee led by Ahmed Joda, even after other members had already been named.
The committee was responsible for engaging with the outgoing administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to review handover documents and prepare a roadmap for the incoming government.
Mohammed also recounted the phone call that led to his inclusion on the committee. According to him, he received a call asking for him to hold on for the president-elect. Buhari then came on the line and asked where he was. When Mohammed replied that he was in Lagos, Buhari asked why he was there, to which he responded that Lagos was his place of residence.
Buhari then asked if he would be attending the inaugural meeting of the Transition Committee in Abuja the following day. Mohammed said he informed the president-elect that he was not a member of the committee. Buhari reportedly responded by saying his aide, Tunde Sabiu, would contact him, before ending the call—an exchange that ultimately paved the way for his appointment.
