Please permit me to congratulate the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation for collaborating to organize the 2nd Nigeria Spokespersons Summit and the innovative Information Ministerial Clinic.
The theme of this summit, Integrity and the Evolving Roles of Spokespersons in Leadership Communication and Development, couldn’t be more apt, considering how the role of a spokesperson in leadership communication has evolved from being a simple conduit of information to a dynamic, strategic position that requires integrity, adaptability, and ethical judgment.
As you are undoubtedly aware, we live in an empiricist world, meaning our society increasingly values knowledge derived from experience, direct observation, and evidence rather than theoretical postulation. It is precisely for this reason that I have opted to share my practical experience with you through a case study, which I have titled Changing the Narrative for the purpose of this presentation. Under this, I will share my experience by illustrating with some key issues I managed during my tenure.
BOKO HARAM
Ahead of the Buhari Administration’s assumption of office in May 2015, one of the most pressing national issues was security. This was unsurprising, given the deadly attacks carried out across the North-East, particularly by the Boko Haram terrorist group. The group, which began its violent campaign in 2009, also targeted the capital city of Abuja, carrying out multiple attacks, including the bombing of the UN Headquarters on August 26, 2011, and the earlier bombing of the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters on June 16, 2011.
Even more alarming was that Boko Haram began capturing territories, including Gwoza and Bama, which they declared the headquarters of their caliphate in September 2014. They didn’t stop there, they raised their flag, deposed and imposed emirs, and even collected taxes. At the height of their violence in 2014–2015, Boko Haram controlled 20 out of the 27 local government areas in Borno State. By 2015, the Nigerian military launched a massive offensive, recapturing most of these seized territories. However, despite the government’s and military’s efforts, the prevailing narrative remained that Boko Haram still controlled these areas and was expanding its influence.
Upon my appointment as Minister of Information and Culture in 2015, I realized I had to take decisive action to change this narrative and convince Nigerians that the military had indeed reclaimed the captured territories. Working with my team, we decided that only a media tour of the liberated areas, with concrete evidence – pictures, videos, and direct interactions with residents and the military – could convince Nigerians.
So, on Saturday, December 5, 2015 – coincidentally, the eve of my birthday – I led a team of about 40 local and international journalists on a top-secret trip to Borno State. In fact, the journalists only learned of our destination when we were about to board the C-130 Hercules plane that flew us to Maiduguri. Unsurprisingly, upon learning where we were headed, some journalists attempted to back out, but it was too late.
From Maiduguri, we traveled by road to Konduga, Kaure, and Bama, the epicenter of Boko Haram’s assault. Throughout the over 70-kilometer journey to Bama, we did not encounter a single vehicle on the road. The mission was so dangerous that we were escorted not only by battle-tested troops but also by fighter jets flying overhead as we made our way through the liberated territories.
The visit was an eye-opener. In Bama, where over 6,000 buildings once stood, none remained intact. Arabic inscriptions were visible everywhere, confirming Boko Haram’s previous control. When we concluded the trip and returned to Abuja in the early hours of the next day, the journalists were armed with concrete evidence that the captured territories had indeed been liberated. We could confidently tell Nigerians what we had seen, with pictures and videos as proof. This played a significant role in changing the narrative about Boko Haram and convincing Nigerians that the military was making substantial progress.
When an opposition state governor persisted in pushing the old narrative, we successfully challenged him, urging him to visit Borno – just as we had – and report his findings. He had no response.
CHIBOK GIRLS
Next was the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement, which was leading a vocal campaign to secure the return of the 276 Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram on the night of April 14–15, 2014. The campaigners gathered daily at key points in Abuja, clad in red and white, attracting both local and international attention. They created the impression that the Federal Government was not doing enough to find and rescue the girls.
Building on our experience from the earlier Borno trip, we realized that only a drastic measure could convince the group of the government’s commitment and change the narrative they had presented to the world. We invited the group to join us on a trip to witness firsthand the military’s efforts. After some debate over the trip’s modalities, BBOG Co-Convener Dr. Oby Ezekwesili agreed to participate.
On January 16–17, 2017, I once again led a team of local and international journalists, along with Dr. Ezekwesili, on another trip, first to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base in Yola. From there, Dr. Ezekwesili, a select group of journalists, and I were embedded with the NAF reconnaissance teams conducting search sorties over the Sambisa Forest day and night
Apparently impressed by the military’s efforts, BBOG – upon our return to Abuja – later issued a statement:
“We can confirm that the air component of the counterinsurgency war is being prosecuted by a highly professional, capable, motivated, and committed team of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF). We were provided data and imagery evidence showing that the search for the Chibok girls and other abducted citizens is a daily activity by NAF.”
Without a doubt, this decision effectively ended skepticism about the government’s determination to find and return the girls, many of whom were later rescued and reunited with their families. The trip was so successful that a newspaper headline at the time read: “Lai, Ezekwesili ‘now searching’ for Chibok Girls in Sambisa.”
P&ID
Also, as part of the Changing the Narrative campaign, we took on the responsibility of countering the arbitration award of $9.6 billion in favor of a British Virgin Islands-based company, Process and Industrial Development (P&ID), against Nigeria.
P&ID had filed for arbitration against Nigeria over a failed 2010 agreement for accelerated gas development in OML 123 and 67. Following the arbitration award, P&ID hired a Nigerian firm to shift the narrative in its favor and portray Nigeria negatively. As P&ID pursued enforcement proceedings in U.S. and U.K. courts, concerns arose about Nigerian assets abroad being confiscated.
Our ministry, in partnership with the Ministry of Finance, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), launched a strategic communications campaign. We briefed the Nigerian media, engaged investors and diplomats, and traveled to the U.K. to interact with international media and influential think tanks.
In the end, we won both in the court of public opinion and in the court of law. The High Court of Justice in London ruled in Nigeria’s favor, overturning the award due to P&ID’s fraudulent conduct – which we had highlighted all through our campaigns
TOWN HALL MEETINGS
It is trite to say that you cannot achieve a positive portrayal of the government without carrying the people along, because the people are at the center of anything the government does. In other words, you must ensure there is no communication gap between the government and the governed. This is precisely why we launched the Town Hall Meeting series on April 25, 2016, to provide a platform for the government to directly engage with the people. The Town Hall Meeting, which turned out to be an instant success, ensured two-way communication between the government and the people, served as a feedback mechanism for government policies and programmes, and deepened participatory democracy. We held at least two dozen meetings in all six geo-political zones across the country on different issues, including insecurity, the fight against corruption, herdsmen–farmers’ clashes, the economy, vandalism of public infrastructure, national unity, peace and security, boosting agriculture, etc. The format was simple: Honourable Ministers relevant to the chosen topics were invited to tell Nigerians what they were doing, while they also got instant feedback from the audience, comprising ordinary Nigerians from all walks of life. We made sure that the attendees were free to ask any question and offer any advice. The recommendations from the meetings were submitted to the Federal Executive Council.
MEDIA TOUR OF GOVERNMENT PROJECTS
We also launched a media tour of the key government projects being implemented across the country, as well as some key private projects that had the potential to impact the nation’s economy. We did this because such a tour is the best way to achieve transparency and accountability; public awareness and visibility; credibility (as the public and private media houses validated what the government claimed); as well as real-time feedback and evaluation. Journalists from public and independent media were invited to join us on the trips, which took us to the 2nd Niger Bridge, Loko-Oweto Bridge, Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, Lagos–Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Line, Abuja Light Rail Project, Abuja–Kaduna Standard Gauge Rail Line, Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway, Ibadan–Oyo–Ilorin Expressway, Dangote Refinery, BUA Cement in Sokoto, Lekki Deep Sea Port, Waltersmith Modular Refinery in Ibigwe, Imo State, the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, Bonny Terminal; Terminal Two of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos; New International Airport Terminal, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Ltd., Nnewi; and the Duchess Hospital in Lagos, among others.
CHANGING THE NARRATIVE: 2023 ELECTION
Just before we left office in 2023, we were faced with yet another critical assignment: countering the growing narrative aimed at discrediting the February 2023 presidential election on the global stage. Allegations of rigging had surfaced, largely centered around the delay in uploading results to the IReV portal – which, notably, plays no role in the official collation of election results. Compounding this were misplaced sentiments, fueled by sections of the international media that had relied on questionable pre-election opinion polls and social media noise, suggesting that the Labour Party (LP) candidate had won the election. Drawing from our experience, we opted for an evidence-based approach. I led my team to the United Kingdom and the United States to engage directly with key international media organizations and influential think tanks. Our goal was to present them with irrefutable facts on how the election was won and lost. We met with journalists and representatives from Voice of America, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy Magazine, Associated Press, BBC, The Economist, Reuters, Bloomberg, Politico, Hudson Institute, U.S. Institute of Peace, Atlantic Council, and Chatham House, among others. To our surprise, many of these organizations were unfamiliar with Nigeria’s constitutional requirements for winning a presidential election. We explained that, under Chapter 6, Section 134 of the Constitution, a candidate must not only win the majority of votes but also secure at least 25% of the votes in no fewer than two-thirds of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Based on this, we made it clear that neither the PDP nor LP candidates had a viable path to victory.
We presented the breakdown: the LP candidate placed a distant third, trailing the APC candidate by approximately 2.7 million votes. The APC candidate not only won the highest number of votes but also secured 25% of the vote in 29 states – well above the constitutional threshold. The PDP candidate, who came second, met the 25% threshold in only 21 states, while the LP candidate achieved it in just 15 states. Both fell short of the constitutional criteria for victory. To further dispel the allegations of rigging, we laid out compelling evidence: the APC lost in key states with high number of registered voters – Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, and Katsina – even though all had APC governors. If the APC had manipulated the process, why would it lose in its own strongholds? We highlighted that major APC figures lost their states in the presidential election: the party’s presidential candidate, the sitting president, the party chairman, the campaign director general, and several APC governors all lost their home states. If the party were truly adept at rigging, would it have allowed such high-profile defeats?
By the end of our engagements, we were confident that we had effectively reshaped the global narrative. Many of those we spoke with admitted they had been misled by the social media-driven hype around the LP candidate, flawed opinion polls, and a limited understanding of Nigeria’s electoral process.
CONCLUSION
Changing a negative narrative about government policies or corporate initiatives requires a strategic communication approach that builds trust, engages the public, and showcases tangible results.
There is a popular saying: “Seeing is believing.” This underscores the human tendency to place greater trust in information that is visually confirmed.
Now, in strategic communication, this principle – which underscores the importance of direct evidence over secondhand information or mere claims – is harnessed to enhance the effectiveness and credibility of messages through visual elements and eyewitnesses.
This was our guiding principle when we took on the issues of Boko Haram, Bring Back Our Girls, and P&ID,; when we embarked on actions to affirm the credibility of the 2023 elections to the international community as well as when we sought to convince Nigerians that, indeed, the government was implementing its policies and programmes.
As spokespersons, we must continue to anchor our work on transparency, evidence, and integrity, because in a world driven by perception, showing the truth is not just persuasive, it is powerful.
I thank you all for your kind attention.***PRESENTATION BY THE FORMER MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED, AT THE 2ND NIGERIA SPOKESPERSONS SUMMIT AND THE INFORMATION MINISTERIAL CLINIC AT THE ABUJA CONTINENTAL HOTEL ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2025.
