Challenging Jonathan’s govt shaped my career — Lai Mohammed

Lai Mohammed

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Former Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says his national prominence was built on years of challenging and exposing what he described as weaknesses in the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan while serving as opposition spokesperson.

Mohammed, who served as Information Minister for eight years under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, stated this on Friday while delivering the convocation lecture at Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State.

The lecture, titled “Don’t just graduate, innovate,” was part of activities marking the institution’s 15th convocation ceremony.

Speaking to the graduating students, Mohammed urged them not to fear failure, explaining that perseverance had shaped his own political journey, particularly during the PDP’s dominance between 2006 and 2015.

He said, “Failure is not the opposite of success. It is part of the journey to success. You must reinvent yourself relentlessly. It is the only way to stay relevant.

“Between 2006 and 2015, I rose to national prominence as opposition spokesperson for the Action Congress, Action Congress of Nigeria, and All Progressives Congress by relentlessly exposing weaknesses in the ruling PDP government and shaping national discourse.

“Through constant, research-driven media interventions via press conferences, interviews or press releases, sometimes issued three times in one day, my team and I became more credible than the government, set the national agenda and effectively operated as an ‘alternative government.’

“Our fearlessness, innovation and omnipresence made us powerful, even as I faced harassment, arrests and worked without pay. The DSS arrested me in Osogbo, and the police arrested me in Lagos. Through it all, I was unrelenting. I could not be intimidated.”

In his remarks, the Pro-Chancellor of Achievers University, Prof. Bode Ayorinde, said the institution maintains strict academic and disciplinary standards.

He said two students were expelled recently for poor academic performance and misconduct.

“We have rusticated students and refunded their money for indiscipline, and last week we rusticated another student and refunded his money over indiscipline.

“We don’t sell certificates. Our culture here is academic culture and discipline, no drug abuse, no cultism. We score and reward our faculties based on performance and discipline,” he said.

Acting Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Oyesoji Aremu, also praised the lecture, noting that the institution places strong emphasis on innovation.

“The title of the lecture is apt particularly at this time when students graduate and not having anything to do after graduation.

“In Achievers University, we always graduate students that would be able to innovate after graduation,” he stated.

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