How we used strategic communication to advertise Nigerian tradition, tourism – Lai Mohammed
A former Minister of Info and Tradition, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has emphasised how strategic communication was deployed throughout his tenure to advertise Nigeria’s tradition and tourism, repositioning the sectors as key drivers of nationwide improvement.
A press release by Head of Strategic Communications
Lai Mohammed’s Media Workplace, Nnamdi Atupulazi, famous that Alhaji Mohammed made the remarks on Wednesday whereas donating copies of his guide, Headlines & Soundbites: Media Moments that Outlined an Administration, to the College of Ilorin in Kwara state.
He defined that the Ministry intentionally leveraged communication to put Nigeria’s cultural heritage and tourism potential on the forefront of each nationwide and worldwide discourse.
Routine official engagements, he stated, have been remodeled into high-impact media occasions by attending main festivals and touring key vacationer locations with groups of journalists, producing sustained visibility for Nigeria’s cultural belongings.
In keeping with Alhaji Mohammed, this technique amplified festivals such because the Argungu Worldwide Fishing Competition, the Osun-Osogbo Competition, and the CalabarCarnival, turning them into platforms for {economic} promotion, nationwide delight and international storytelling.
The previous Minister famous that visits to cultural and tourism websites, together with the Owu Waterfalls in Kwara state, in addition to establishments just like the Nationwide Theatre, Lagos, and the Nationwide Museum, Onikan, have been fastidiously curated to showcase Nigeria’s tourism potential.
He added that the introduction of the Nationwide Competition Calendar introduced construction and predictability to cultural occasions, making them extra engaging to vacationers and buyers.
“Partnerships with organizations such because the Tony Elumelu Basis and the British Council additionally helped construct the capability of pageant managers throughout the nation,” he stated.
On the worldwide degree, Alhaji Mohammed highlighted Nigeria’s participation within the Royal Edinburgh Army Tattoo, which projected the nation’s tradition to a worldwide viewers and strengthened the message that Nigeria’s true wealth lies in its folks, traditions and creativity.
“These initiatives display how purposeful and constant communication can remodel tradition into a robust instrument for {economic} diversification and nationwide identification,” he stated.
Talking on the guide donation, the previous Minister defined that the gesture is a part of a broader initiative to help scholarship and encourage studying amongst Nigerian college students.
Following the launch of the guide in Abuja on December 17, 2025, he stated he resolved to donate copies freed from cost to chose tertiary establishments throughout the nation by the Studying Periods Challenge. The College of Ilorin is the fifth beneficiary, following Yaba School of Know-how, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, College of Abuja and Al-Hikmah College.
Alhaji Mohammed described Headlines & Soundbites as a first-hand account of governance and a mirrored image on the position of communication in nation-building, drawing from his practically eight-year tenure as Minister of Info and Tradition.
He stated he wrote the guide to protect an correct historic report and supply context typically lacking from public discourse, emphasizing that no authorities succeeds with out efficient communication and no historical past is full till it’s informed by those that lived it.
He thanked the authorities of the College of Ilorin for accepting the donation and expressed hope that the guide would enrich scholarship and strengthen essential pondering amongst college students.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the College of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, counseled the donation, describing it as a bridge between tutorial concept and sensible governance.
Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. MuktarAdeiza Ekundaye, he famous that the guide would enrich college students’ understanding by exposing them to real-life governance experiences not available in textbooks.
“This donation will tremendously profit our college students, because it gives insights they might not get from typical classroom educating,” he stated.
Additionally talking, the College Librarian, Prof. Tunde Omopupa, lauded the previous Minister for the gesture, noting that the guide would improve analysis and mental engagement throughout the establishment.
He highlighted that the publication covers various areas together with politics, financial system, defence, and social points, making it a helpful addition to the college’s library sources, and inspired college students and researchers to discover it for a deeper understanding of governance and strategic communication.
The occasion was properly attended by members of the college group, together with college students, employees and different stakeholders.