*Clears air on allegation over COVID-19 palliative for the creative industry

The presentation of President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s scorecard (2015-20230 ended Tuesday with the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stating that his mission of showcasing the achievements of his principal has been accomplished.

The Minister had anchored 25 previous editions before his turn and he believed that the exercise, which began in October last year, has proved the “mischief of political oppositions that the Buhari Administration has achieved nothing, otherwise.

He said: “The refrain from the opposition prior to the launch of this scorecard series was that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Buhari administration has nothing to campaign within the run-up to the 2023 general elections. But we have proven them wrong. Not only do we have achievements to campaign with, we are spoilt for choice”, Mohammed said.

He added that the administration has implemented high-impact projects across the country that meet the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians and according to him, his Ministry will soon launch a series of multi-dimensional activities to further showcase the achievements of the administration.

“In the days ahead and before the elections, you will see more of our multi-dimensional efforts to showcase the administration’s achievements”, he said.

The Minister who was in the company of the chief executive of cultures used the occasion to refute allegations that he collected COVID-19 palliative for the creative industry but failed to disburse the money. According to him, efforts made towards obtaining the fund failed.

Listing some of the achievements of his ministry, he disclosed that the National Theatre was being renovated at the cost of $100 million under a partnership between the federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He added that the biggest achievement of the culture and tourism arm of his ministry was the repatriation of looted artefacts, among which were of 1,130 Benin Bronzes from Germany and a 600-year-old Ife Terracotta from the Netherlands.

He noted that on the assumption of office, his first assignment was a process to change the narrative on Boko Haram to reflect the massive progress that the military made in a short while.

“We, therefore, decided to visit the liberated areas of the northeast with about 40 local and international journalists. We embarked on this visit on 5 December 2015, flying to Maiduguri and then going by road to Bama through Konduga and Kaure. We did not meet a single vehicle along the road that stretched about 72 kilometres, skirting the Sambisa Forest at many points.

“The visit was an eye-opener. In Bama, with over 6,000 buildings, none was standing intact. Signs in Arabic were visible everywhere. It was no longer a matter of speculation that our troops were winning the war, we were armed with empirical evidence. Our troops earned our respect forever. We were able to return and tell Nigerians what we saw with pictures and videos to back it up. This went a long way in helping to change the narrative about Boko Haram, to convince Nigerians that the territories captured and occupied by the insurgents have been taken back, that indeed our military was winning the war and that they needed the support of their compatriots.”

The Minister also listed the Digital Switch Over, Anchor Borrowers’ Programme as well as the crucial role his ministry played in changing the narrative in the wake of the $9.6 billion judgement awarded against Nigeria in the case with Process & Industrial Development (P&ID).

“The change in the narrative in favour of Nigeria was achieved with a series of engagements, facilitated by the ministry, with key opinion moulders such as investors, financial experts and diplomats (whom we met at a session in Lagos), as well as the international media and policymakers.”