A former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Thursday donated copies of his latest book, Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration, to the library of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun State, as part of efforts to promote scholarship, strategic communication and intellectual engagement among students.
The former Minister, who made the donation during an interactive session at the institution, describing the gesture as his modest contribution to knowledge-sharing and the strengthening of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
He said the donation was undertaken under a broader initiative he is leading, known as the Reading Sessions Project, designed to encourage reading culture, critical thinking and informed discussions among undergraduate students across the country.
According to him, the Reading Sessions Project was officially launched on Dec. 24, 2025, at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, where he also donated copies of the book to the institution.
Alhaji Mohammed said he was motivated to write the book by the conviction that Nigeria’s contemporary history would remain incomplete unless those who had the privilege of serving at the highest levels of government documented their experiences.
“This book is my own contribution to Nigeria’s contemporary history, from an insider’s perspective,” he said. “It is not merely a record of my time as the longest-serving Minister of Information and Culture. It is the account of someone who was consistently in the engine room of government between 2015 and 2023.”
The former Minister explained that the 600-page, 20-chapter publication was not intended as a defence of the Buhari administration, noting that while in office he had already presented the administration’s achievements through various platforms, including the establishment of an online legacy portal, www.pmbscorecard.gov.ng, to document the achievements.
He said the book examined the evolving nature of communication in the digital era, stressing that political communication, in particular, had moved beyond the era of routine press releases to one requiring proactive engagement, agenda-setting and constant feedback.
Alhaji Mohammed said information managers in government must operate differently from other cabinet members, describing them as the mirror through which an administration is reflected to the public.
He disclosed that the book addressed how he tackled major communication challenges during his tenure, including misinformation during the #EndSARS protests and the circumstances that led to the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria.
The former Minister cited several examples of proactive narrative management during his tenure, including leading local and international journalists to Boko Haram-liberated areas in Borno State in 2015, a move he said helped counter widespread misinformation about the security situation at the time.
He also recalled leading a delegation of ministers to Dapchi, Yobe State, immediately after the abduction of schoolgirls in 2018, as well as facilitating visits by leaders of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement to conflict zones, efforts he said were aimed at providing first-hand information and shaping accurate narratives.
According to him, the book was written primarily for researchers, students, media professionals, public relations practitioners and historians, with the hope that it would serve as a reference material, teaching aid and resource for critical inquiry.
The author expressed delight at donating the book to MAPOLY, stressing that knowledge should not be confined to private shelves but made accessible in academic spaces where it could be questioned, tested and applied. Donations will be made to more tertiary institutions across the country soon.
In his remarks, the Rector of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Dr. Koyejo Jolaoso, thanked the former minister for recognising the institution and described the donation as a significant contribution to learning and nation-building.
“We appreciate you for your role in nation-building. This donation goes a long way towards the development of humanity and reaffirms that MAPOLY remains on the map of academic relevance,” he said.
The event was attended by the Chairman of the polytechnic’s governing council, Prof. Kamaldeen Balogun, the Rector, Dr. Koyejo Jolaoso, as well as management, staff, students and members of the press, and featured an interactive session on the themes of governance, communication and nation-building raised in the book.
