Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that the ministry under his supervision, deliberately leveraged on communication to place Nigeria’s cultural heritage and tourism potential at the forefront of both national and international discourse.
Alhaji Mohammed in a statement by head, Strategic Communications of Lai Mohammed’s Media Office, Nnamdi Atupulazi, explained that this included routine official engagements, which he said, were transformed into high-impact media events by attending major festivals and touring key tourist destinations with teams of journalists, generating sustained visibility for Nigeria’s cultural assets.
The former minister who spoke in Ilorin, Kwara State when he donated copies of his book, Headlines & Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration, to the University of Ilorin, said culture and tourism sectors thus became key drivers of national development.
Alhaji Mohammed said he adopted the strategy to amplify festivals such as the Argungu International Fishing Festival, the Osun-Osogbo Festival, and the CalabarCarnival, turning them into platforms for economic promotion, national pride and global storytelling.
He further noted that visits to cultural and tourism sites, including the Owu Waterfalls in Kwara State, as well as institutions like the National Theatre, Lagos, and the National Museum, Onikan, were carefully curated to showcase Nigeria’s tourism potential.
According to him, the introduction of the National Festival Calendar brought structure and predictability to cultural events, making them more attractive to tourists and investors.
The former minister added that partnerships with organisations such as the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the British Council also helped build the capacity of festival managers across the country.
At the international level, Alhaji Mohammed highlighted Nigeria’s participation in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which he said, projected the country’s culture to a global audience and reinforced the message that Nigeria’s true wealth lies in its people, traditions and creativity.
“These initiatives demonstrate how purposeful and consistent communication can transform culture into a powerful instrument for economic diversification and national identity,” he said.
The former minister explained that the book donation was part of a broader initiative to support scholarship and encourage reading among Nigerian students.
He described Headlines & Soundbites as a first-hand account of governance and a reflection on the role of communication in nation-building, drawing from his nearly eight-year tenure as Minister of Information and Culture.
Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, commended the minister for the donation, describing it as a bridge between academic theory and practical governance.
Prof. Egbewole who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. MuktarAdeiza Ekundaye, noted that the book would enrich students’ understanding by exposing them to real-life governance experiences not readily available in textbooks.
“This donation will greatly benefit our students, as it provides insights they may not get from conventional classroom teaching,” he said.
