Headline
Why Buhari appointed me as minister in 2015 — Lai Mohammed
A former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said his appointment by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 was the result of years of trust, shared convictions, loyalty, and service, rather than a single moment.
Mohammed, who served as information minister for almost eight years during Buhari’s administration, disclosed this in his book, Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration.
The book, launched in Abuja on December 17, 2025, to coincide with what would have been Buhari’s 83rd birthday, chronicles his experiences as minister under the late President.
Recalling the period after Buhari’s inauguration on May 29, 2015, Mohammed said it took a while for the former President to name his cabinet.
However, because of the trust and confidence Buhari placed in him, Mohammed was personally appointed to the Ahmed Joda-led Transition Committee in April 2015, after the other members had already been named.
The committee was tasked with liaising with the outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to review handover notes and prepare a blueprint for the incoming government.
Mohammed detailed the telephone conversation that led to his appointment: “‘Hello,’ the voice on the line said. ‘Is this Alhaji Lai Mohammed?’ I answered in the affirmative. ‘Hold on for Mr President,’ the voice said.
“Then another voice, apparently that of the President-elect, came on the line and asked: ‘Lai, where are you?’
“‘Your Excellency, I am in Lagos.’
“‘What are you doing in Lagos?’ he asked.
“‘I live in Lagos, Your Excellency,’ I replied.
“He then went straight to the reason for the call: ‘Are you not coming for the inaugural meeting of the Transition Committee in Abuja tomorrow?’
“I replied, ‘Your Excellency, I am not a member of the committee.’ He then said, ‘Ok, Tunde (Sabiu, his longtime personal assistant) will call you,’ and he hung up.
“Within the hour, I received a call from Tunde, who asked where he should deliver the letter appointing me to the transition committee,” Mohammed narrated in the book.
He said that when the committee was first named and he was not included, he did not feel left out or slighted, but was simply happy that the party had won the elections.
According to Mohammed, Buhari’s personal appointment marked the beginning of a cordial and special relationship that lasted until the former President’s death on July 13, 2025.
Mohammed also recalled that a few days before Buhari’s 100th day in office, a close confidant of the President requested him to assist the spokesmen ahead of the landmark celebration.
At that time, Buhari had not yet named his ministers but had appointed Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu as his spokespersons.
“I did not need a soothsayer to tell me that the call was a further indication of the President’s confidence in me.
“The same confidant told me on another occasion that if there was anyone the President was very sure would make his cabinet and whose portfolio he was already sure of, that person was me,” he wrote.
Mohammed said his relationship with Buhari dated back to 2012, when he requested through Mallam Nasir el-Rufai that Buhari write the foreword to his first book, Witness to History. Buhari graciously agreed, wrote the foreword, and attended the book launch.
The next encounter came during the run-up to the 2015 general election, after the merger that birthed the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mohammed, who was the opposition spokesman for the Action Congress of Nigeria and later the APC for over a decade, said he was regularly part of meetings with Buhari in Kaduna alongside his political leader, President Bola Tinubu, and Chief Bisi Akande. These meetings were usually held on Mondays and Thursdays.
He added that these long-standing interactions, built on mutual respect and shared political ideals, laid the foundation for the confidence Buhari later placed in him as 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,” Mohammed said.
(NAN)
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Entertainment
Hold Deji Adeleke Responsible If Anything Happens To Me Or Anu – Davido’s Alleged Babymama Cries Out
Davido’s alleged Babymama, Ayo Labinjoh, has responded to the singer’s father, Adedeji Adeleke, over DNA claims on her daughter, Anu.
Recall that Adeleke had dismissed the paternity claims against his son, insisting that Any is not Davido’s child.
The singer’s father made the declaration on Wednesday during a press conference in Lagos.
According to him, five DNA tests have been done to verify the paternity claim, but all of them have come out negative.
Reacting via her daughter’s Instagram page, Labinjoh vowed she would not be intimidated.
She expressed shock that her sister, Titi Labinjoh has been in contact with Deji Adeleke.
Labinjoh lamented that her sister has been collecting money from her oppressors.
She stated that Adeleke should not be speaking for his son, insisting that he is using his power and money to intimidate her.
She urged the Nigerian police to hold Deji Adeleke responsible if any harm came to her or her daughter.
Labinjoh also disclosed that she was poisoned while she was in Adeleke’s University, and that was the reason she dropped out.
She wrote, “DR DEJI ADELEKE: YOU CANNOT INTIMIDATE US SIR
“To my shock my own sister Titi Labinjoh reportedly has been talking to Dr Deji Adeleke since the pandemic about what? Titi called here last week from Abuja telling our mom that she’s scared about the media attention Anu is getting and that her coworkers keep bothering her. Our mom said she should ignore it as Anu’s story does not belong as gossip on her office.
“What about Anu who has to endure everything? Titilayo my only sister singlehandedly raised alongside me by our mom went to the oppressors to collect money? How? Matthew 10:36. We are shocked they said she has been talking to them since 2020. Did you also give my number to David?
“YES‼️Dr Kemi opened this page and took photos online, those she took with Anu and some I posted myself. She handed the page to us in 2019. The gap is there. I’m not a social media user and I didn’t post for 4 years. In 2023, I started to post on her 10th birthday photoshoot and I’ve logged on from many locations. I no longer live in Ibadan. Anu lives with my mom.
“I’m a trader by profession and buy my goods from border countries. There was no time Titi told Dr Kemi to stop posting about Anu. They don’t have each others contact nor talk. My mom Mrs Ropo Labinjo also posts some of Anu’s videos.
“We are not in touch with Dr Kemi even though she posts about us. She held a press conference and did public relations for us during our 2018 appeal. SIR, as the Patriach of the family you should not be talking on David’s behalf. I’m not Sophia negotiating child support etc. Let David address me. Your power and money is being abused here.
“David is obviously a boy and not a man. It took money for you to use a family member of ours to spy on us. If anything happens to me, my daughter and mom, the police should hold you responsible.
“Anu and I NEVER met with you in 2020 for 4 additional DNA tests. I have not seen BRed since the night when they dined at my place of work GQ club in Ibadan February 2013. Anu has never met BRed, Dr Kemi suspected I may have also slept with him as she asked me in my detailed interview which is now floating around. Post the tests sir.
“Dr Kemi just posted this to clarify herself. Titi you are a liar. We did not cut ties with her 4 years ago. She cut ties with everyone in Ibadan 7 years ago and moved to Lagos then out of Nigeria. My sister was collecting money from one Sikiru Adeleke, Dr Deji Adeleke’s younger brother who Titi reached out to claiming she will be our spokesperson to get the clean DNA 🧬 Instead they paid her off and she was giving us a portion of the money unknown to us. I heard ~N250K was sent for Anu’s care monthly for a year but Titi only gave me N100K.
“I was vulnerable, poor and worked hard then took their university offer under poor advice from my sister and Davido still had not accepted my daughter with proper DNA. One day I went to eat my meal at the school and started vomiting 🤮 blood 🩸 I was POISONED at the school and was hospitalized. The hospital confirmed the poison and I left hurriedly and dropped out. I was scared to ever go back. Dr Kemi was not in the picture. LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS!! 😡😡😡She supported Anu financially till date even if I cannot say thank you as I have no contact.
“I did not want to get to this stage but I must talk. After I withdrew from the school they stopped giving Anu money. My sister Titi made poor decisions for me. I never saw Dr Adeleke or Davido one time when I was there. Thank you for your one year support🙏🏾 My DNA request will be done at the State Department.”
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Headline
Political Elites Are Too Ambitious – Buhari’s Former Chief Of Staff Reveals Why One-Party State Will Fail
The former Chief of Staff to late President Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Gambari, has stated that a one-party State in Nigeria cannot be actualised.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Gambari, who now chairs the Board of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), stated that he is not worried about a one-party state because political elites are too ambitious to be contained within a single political party.
He, however, stated that, as a measure to check the frequent case of defections in the country, adding that in other climes, ‘if you defect, you vacate the position because it belongs to the political party under which you emerged’.
He said, “On the political parties and the fear of a one-party state, I’m not worried about this country becoming a one-party state. You know what? You can quote me. It will not happen, if history is any guide. You know, we don’t even know our own history.
“This administration is not the first to try to have a dominant party in Nigeria. Right from the beginning, the NPC was a dominant party in the First Republic. They were not the ones who caused the crisis in the main opposition, but they didn’t discourage it. In fact, they took sides. Where has that led us? It didn’t lead us to peace or development; it led to chaos.
“The NPN was the successor. They became so confident they felt that they would be there forever. What happened to that? In the end, it didn’t work. Third one, PDP, not long ago they were boasting that they would rule for 60 years. Where are they today? So any effort to make this country one-party will not work. And sometimes, it will not work for the wrong reasons, because the political elites are too ambitious for the ambition to be contained within one political party.”
Gambari, however, cautioned, “But let’s not wait for disaster to happen. Let’s build political parties. That’s what has been missing. We have not paid enough attention as a people to political parties. We are, in a sense, super elite. We gather in this room. How many of us actually belong to any political party? How many of us here present have a party membership card? How many attend political party meetings?”
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Headline
Tinubu’s Tax Policy Is Progressive, I Fully Support It – Oshiomhole
Senator Adams Oshiomhole has praised President Bola Tinubu’s new tax policy, describing it as consistent with the principles of a progressive government.
He said he was among the lawmakers who supported the tax bill that eventually became law.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, the Edo North lawmaker said the Tinubu tax policy is progressive because it shifts the tax burden from the poor to the rich.
“The facts on the ground show that President Tinubu’s tax policy is consistent with the values of a progressive government,” Oshiomhole said.
“And this is a progressive tax policy that places a higher burden on those who earn more while offering tax exemptions to those who earn less.”
The former Edo State governor emphasized that he fully supports the new tax policy, noting that no government can function without taxes.
“It is only in Nigeria that people talk about government using money or claim that government earns money on its own. Governments do not earn money; citizens earn income, and the government taxes those earnings—whether individual or corporate. The sum of these taxes determines the annual revenue of the state,” he explained.
Oshiomhole added that working families will benefit under the new tax regime.
“There is no worker who is a member of the Nigeria Labour Congress earning N1 million a month, which totals N12 million a year. So, for salary earners, this tax policy is progressive.”
On Value Added Tax (VAT), the senator noted that the average Nigerian worker need not worry, as VAT primarily affects luxury purchases.
He also criticized Nigerians who pay VAT abroad but complain when paying the same tax in Nigeria.
“Everywhere in the world, when you buy non-food items, you pay VAT. Nigerians pay VAT in America, London, Dubai, yet they resist paying VAT here in Nigeria,” Oshiomhole said.
Despite criticisms, President Bola Tinubu had, in December 2025, reaffirmed that the new tax laws would take effect from January 1, 2026.
Tinubu explained that the tax laws were not intended to raise taxes arbitrarily, but to support a structural reset, promote harmonisation, protect citizens’ dignity, and strengthen the social contract.
He also urged all Nigerians to support the implementation of the new policy.
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