(DDM) — Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday unveiled a new book in Abuja to honour the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, deliberately choosing the date to coincide with what would have been Buhari’s 83rd birthday, a gesture that has reignited public debate over the former leader’s legacy and the role of government communication in shaping historical memory.
The book, titled Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments That Defined an Administration, was presented at a well-attended event that drew senior government officials, political leaders, members of Buhari’s family, and key figures from Nigeria’s media and policy circles.
Mohammed explained that the launch date was initially fixed for December 6, his own birthday, but was later shifted to December 17 as a mark of respect to Buhari following his death in July 2025.
He said the decision was taken after he resumed writing the manuscript while still grappling with the shock of Buhari’s sudden passing, a loss he admitted he never anticipated when he began the project in June 2025.
According to Mohammed, the book’s first chapter is dedicated entirely to Buhari, a choice he said readers would understand once they engaged deeply with the content and its historical context.
He recalled that Buhari had written the foreword to his earlier book, Witness to History, published 13 years ago, describing the late president as a leader whose influence extended beyond policy into the shaping of Nigeria’s public narrative.
The former minister described the new book as a detailed account of his experience as Nigeria’s longest-serving Minister of Information and Culture, spanning Buhari’s two terms in office from 2015 to 2023.
He said the work addresses issues of information management, national orientation, culture, tourism, and crisis communication, insisting that many public perceptions of the Buhari administration were shaped more by headlines than by policy substance.
Mohammed noted that the book seeks to correct misconceptions, provide historical context, and offer first-hand accounts of moments he believes history must not forget.
Among the key issues discussed in the book are government communication during election cycles, the restoration of the National Theatre, Nigeria’s legal victory in the $9.6 billion P&ID arbitration case, and the global repatriation of stolen cultural artefacts.
The book also revisits how the Buhari administration handled sensitive national and international narratives, including Boko Haram insurgency coverage and the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
When asked whether the publication was intended to defend Buhari’s legacy, Mohammed responded that truth requires no defence, arguing instead that history demands clarity and context.
He stressed that communication strategies can define how an administration is remembered, sometimes even more powerfully than its policies, because headlines and soundbites tend to linger longer in public consciousness.
DDM gathered that the book’s release has already stirred mixed reactions, with supporters viewing it as a necessary historical record, while critics see it as an attempt to reframe a controversial era marked by economic hardship, insecurity, and the 2020 #EndSARS protests.
Buhari’s presidency, which ended in 2023, remains one of the most debated periods in Nigeria’s democratic history, shaped by anti-corruption campaigns, security challenges, and widespread youth-led protests against police brutality and governance failures.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brigadier General Mohammed Marwa, described the book as a valuable reference material capable of inspiring informed civic discourse among students and policy thinkers.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, congratulated Mohammed and urged Nigerian leaders to document their perspectives, arguing that history becomes richer when multiple viewpoints are preserved.
The launch was attended by representatives of Buhari’s family, including Halima and Yusuf Buhari, as well as former Osun State Governor Adebisi Akande, Mohammed’s successor in the ministry, Mohammed Idris, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
As tributes continue to pour in for the late president, the book’s release underscores how Buhari’s years in power remain deeply polarising, ensuring that debates about his leadership, policies, and communication legacy are far from settled.