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Tag: Lai Mohammed

  • “Atiku lied about Nigeria’s debt,” Says Lai Mohammed

    “Atiku lied about Nigeria’s debt,” Says Lai Mohammed

     

    The Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has said the postulations of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar on the status of Nigeria’s debt are not worthy of the paper it was written on.

    Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 presidential election, had on Tuesday berated the federal government for its endless borrowing, saying the economy was on the brink of collapse.

    But the federal government, through Minister Lai Mohammed on Wednesday said Atiku’s position was nothing but scaremongering anchored on a false premise.

    ”There is no doubt that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar loves our country and wishes it well, otherwise he would not have sustained his serial quest for the country’s highest position. One can only hope
    that his resort to the use of such words as ‘precipice’, ‘foreclosure’ and ‘economic ruin’ does not reflect anything but best wishes for the country at this time,” the Minister stated.

    He said the figure of Nigeria’s debt to revenue ratio of
    99% in the first quarter of 2020, quoted by the former Vice President, is not in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper, where he claimed he got it from.

    ”We are also not able to ascertain the source of the first quarter figures of N943.12 billion for debt servicing and N950.56 billion for retained revenue, which he also quoted,” he said..

    According to Mohammed, the debt service provisions in the annual budgets include principal repayments, interest payments and all other applicable charges, adding:

    ”Therefore, the statement that debt servicing does not equate to debt repayment is not only wrong, but
    ill-informed,” he said.

  • Akeredolu, Lai Mohammed test negative for Coronavirus

    Akeredolu, Lai Mohammed test negative for Coronavirus

    The Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, on Thursday, tested negative for Coronavirus.

    The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro, confirmed this to Daybreak on the telephone.

    He said, “The result is negative, I can confirm that. The governor has even confirmed it himself this morning.”

    Also, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said he tested negative for the virus.

    The minister said he was tested on Wednesday.

    He said this in response to a question on his status and that of his colleagues during a media brief meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

  • Ongoing reform will guarantee 70% local content in broadcasting says Lai Mohammed

    Ongoing reform will guarantee 70% local content in broadcasting says Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has reiterated that the ongoing reforms in the broadcasting industry will guarantee 70 per cent local content and ensure content owners are given their dues by stakeholders.

    The minister gave the reassurance on Monday in Lagos when he met with members of Electronic Media Content Owners Association of Nigeria (EMCOAN)

    He said that local content is being given priority in the new model because of its importance in promoting indigenous culture and passing moral values to the younger generations.

    Mohammed admonished content producers to break the bound of conventional contents and develop more of local contents particularly as related to culture and children programmes.

    “We are people of rich culture and history and we do not need to dig so far to develop and produce quality indigenous cultural programmes.

    “We can get first class local contents out of our rich cultural heritages and I will therefore challenge you to go to the roots and be original in your productions,” he said.

    The minister also decried the situation where content producers have become increasingly over-reliant on sponsorship.

    He said such development skewed the authenticity of their creative output in favour of a few decision makers, instead of the millions of TV viewers.

    In addressing this, the minister said he had set up a task team to Identify best practice Audience Measurement System that will support the sustainable growth of the Nigeria Creative and Entertainment Industry.

    He said the task team is expected to come up with a Payment and Disbursement Framework among the key stakeholders in the industry that will ensure that the  system is transparent and rewarding.

    Mohammed noted that it was wrong for content producers to finish their works and start scouting for advertisers before they can be aired.

    He said, rather, contents should be measured and remunerated by viewership while advertiser should be the one looking for good content producers.

    “What drives the Television is the contents and not even the technology but unfortunately, content owners are not given their dues by stakeholders.

    “Advertisers need the content producers more than you need them and they should be guided by an authentic and scientific measurement of how many people view a particular Programme,” he said.

    The minister reassured them of a new dawn in the broadcasting industry that will ensure that  stakeholders earn their right dues.

    Mohammed also assured that the board of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) would be reconstituted very soon and all relevant stakeholders would be carried along.

    Earlier, the President of EMCOAN, Mrs Jibe Ologeh said the group is responsible for 85 per cent of media content in the country and boasts of over 70 major media content owners.

    Ologeh commended the government for the decision to ensure 70 per cent local content in broadcasting, stressing that it is a development they had been waiting for.

    She said TV stations in Nigeria are dominated with foreign contents  and “foreign contents pretending to be local” which is detrimental to the growth of the industry and promotion of indigenous cultural heritages and values.

    She said Nigeria is rich in contents and EMCOAN will partner with government to make the decision a reality.

    The Secretary of the group, Mr Alayande Stephen urged the government to priotise the completion of the Digital Switch Over for the benefit and growth of the industry.

    He underscored the need for their group to be represented in the board of APCON and also solicited the support of the minister towards a successful hosting of Nigeria Braodcast Contents  Market Award they are organizing.

    The Acting Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba who accompanied the minister to the event acknowledged that EMCOAN is a long term investor in the creative industry in the country

    He recalled a time when TV contents went dim, noting that it was the group that took the bull by the horn and invested their money to generate contents for viewership.

    Idachaba assured the group of government’s support through deliberate policies and programmes that would benefit them. (NAN)

  • Lai Mohammed hails church’s use of culture for national cohesion

    Lai Mohammed hails church’s use of culture for national cohesion

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Sunday hailed the church for efforts in enhancing national cohesion for Nigeria’s growth and development.

    The minister, who was represented by Mr Sunday Baba, the General Manager, National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, made the commendation at the 2019 Cultural Fiesta of the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Ifako, Agege, Lagos.

    The fiesta had the theme: ”Cultural Dance, Our Heritage for National Cohesion”.

    Mohammed said that he was delighted any time culture and tradition matters arose because they had the power to unite.

    “The church has done so well. In the past, people were discriminating, classifying culture differently from religion.

    “From what we have seen in the Catholic Church today, it is bringing religion and culture together,” the minister said.

    He expressed satisfaction that most ethnic groups and cultures in Nigeria were represented at the fiesta.

    “There is no better harmony than this,” he said.

    Mohammed said that the nation’s growth and development largely depended on national integration and cohesion, which everybody must work to achieve.

    According to him, people should work for national unity by engaging only in things capable of bringing people together.

    He said that people should use culture to bring out the best for the nation.

    “From what I have seen so far here, Nigeria is moving from level to level because of our culture.

    “People are coming out to showcase what they have to cook, what they have to wear and how they dance; that is the essence of our culture.

    “That is why we are here today, we are happy,” he said.

    Rev. Fr. Joachim Ochibili, the Parish Priest, said that there would not be progress and development without unity and peace.

    Ochibili said that the annual cultural fiesta was to demonstrate the need for unity in order to achieve progress.

    “We use this to bring our people together in unity and oneness. We use dancing as a mean of bringing our people together and make them to remember that we are all one,” the cleric said.

    The reverend father noted that Nigeria had been united in spite of challenges.

    He added: “We must respect our culture, we must respect our oneness. Nigeria will remain one, and in that, we will have progress.”
    In his remarks, Mr Samuel Dennis, the Chairman of the cultural festival organising committee, said that the festival presented a golden opportunity for couples to have their marriage vows renewed in the church.

    “Cultural dance, especially in our dear country, Nigeria, is our common heritage for national cohesion.

    “Culture, as a way of life of a people, is a strong instrument for national integration, bonding them in national undertakings.

    “Dance impacts us as a people in various way especially in collective coexistence, unification, sensitisation and public advocacy, entertainment, communication, education and knowledge and participatory democracy.

    “The festival avails us all the opportunity to dance the dance of David, the dance of oneness and cohesion and the dance that proclaims Christ as the King of the world,” Dennis said.

    Various cultural dances, attires and foods across states of the federation, represented in the parish, were displayed by different groups at the event.

    The parish also honoured the minister with an award of Ambassador of Culture. (NAN)