The International Leadership and Development Centre (ILDC) has refuted media reports linking former minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to remarks criticising government spokespersons.
In a rejoinder signed by the founding president of ILDC, Prof. Desmond Okocha, the centre said Mohammed did not make the statements attributed to him that government spokespersons before and after the late former President Muhammadu Buhari "were never on top of situations" and that Nigeria had suffered due to poor political communication.
According to the ILDC, the former minister during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the centre, spoke broadly about political communication based on his years of experience in public service.
The centre said his presentation focused on the evolving role, responsibilities and challenges of government communication in contemporary democracies, stressing that his comments had been taken out of context and consequently misrepresented in some media reports.
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It added that Mohammed's remarks were general in nature and intended to stimulate professional reflection on the need for effective, strategic and proactive communication by government spokespersons.
The ILDC said the comments were neither directed at any particular administration nor intended as an assessment or criticism of past or present government spokespersons.
According to the Centre, Mohammed's central message was that government spokespersons should continually strive to anticipate emerging issues, communicate proactively and shape public discourse through timely, accurate and strategic engagement with citizens.
The Centre reiterated its commitment to promoting informed public discourse and constructive engagement on issues of governance, leadership and political communication.
