What lie have I told? Those who call me liar are the liars -Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has challenged those calling him a liar to pinpoint one lie he has told to warrant giving a different meaning to his first name.Speaking to Saturday Sun, he said

I challenge these people and I say fault me on facts, and not on emotions. Most of the things you see are purely emotional. Many of them believe that, because I played such a major role in the downfall of PDP, no matter what I do, they would criticize it. I want them to criticise me fairly. I want them to be objective; I’m ready to take them on. Take for instance, one of them went back and said on December 22nd 2009, I issued a statement that the minister of information should give daily bulletin on the health of Yar’Adua and I said you’re mixing things up. Number one, Mr. President is not ill; he is not in the hospital. So, there would be no need for me to give a bulletin. Two, Mr. President complied with the constitution when he was leaving. He wrote a letter to the national assembly that he was leaving on a vacation. But during his vacation, he would take the opportunity to do some medical check-ups and while he’s away, the Vice-President would be acting president. So, I do not see the situation as the same.

So, to you my answer is very simple, it is that today, what we have is the politics of hatred, politics of grievances and politics of prejudice. And this would divide the polity. But I’m not afraid of being challenged; in fact I love being challenged because I won’t go out without my facts. But when you start to quote me out of context, out of share hatred for whatever reason, you go personal, and you are not objective, that doesn’t slow me down. But it makes one sad that this country can be reduced to this level, and that politics can be reduced to pure hatred, divisiveness, prejudice and grievances.

In essence those who say you have told many lies are unfair to you?

Not unfair, they are the liars. Because I challenge them: ‘what lie have I told?’ And they have not come up with one yet.