- Lai Mohammed lost the governorship race in Kwara State 20 years ago
- He was advised to come home more regularly and start an annual Ramadan Talk to help him relate with his people
- He was surprised when his community suggested that he hold the Ramadan Talk at St Andrew’s Catholic Church instead of the Muslim praying ground
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the former minister of information and culture, has provided insight into how difficult it was for him to continue to be a prominent political figure in Kwara State after losing the governorship race.
Lai remained in opposition after that defeat and was derided as a “Lagos politician” by his domestic political rivals until 2015, when the APC, after joining forces with other opposition parties, overthrew the incumbent party and took control of both the state and federal governments.
However, Lai reflected on how he surmounted his early political problems in the state while chatting with the media shortly after a welcoming ceremony held in his honour by his community in Oro, Irepodun Local Government Area, where he was raised.
I remember twenty years ago when I came to run for governorship in Kwara State. After I had lost the election, some of my advisers said I lost because I was a Lagos boy/politician and I should be coming home more regularly.
They suggested that I pick one activity yearly that would allow me to relate with my people in Oro regularly and suggested the Ramadan Talk.
So, I will come to Oro every Ramadan and under the guise of preaching Ramadan, I met my political associates and we are where we are today, he added.
Speaking on religious intolerance, the former minister said, “I always brag about Oro as one of the few religious tolerant communities in Nigeria, and I pray and hope that the whole of Nigeria will take a cue from the town.”
He said;
It is instructive that I started the Ramadan at the Muslim praying ground, which I think is normal.
But after two years, the Muslim praying ground was not available because it was undergoing renovation.
I was then advised to move the event to Ilorin, the state capital, by some Muslim clerics.
Then I informed my community of the shift in the venue, but they advised that we should hold the talk at St Andrew’s Catholic Church here in Oro. I felt a little bit surprised.
They told me that in Oro, there is no difference between a Muslim and a Christian and for the next three consecutive years, I held the Ramadan talk at St Andrew’s Catholic Church.
To me, this is a big statement about the tolerance of people. I only hope that other communities will also borrow a leaf from Oro. Religion is a matter of choice. My people are religiously tolerant.
Prof. James Bojuwoye, National President of the Oro Community, welcomed the former minister and praised him for leaving the community with immeasurable imprints in the sand of time.
As the first political appointee from the town, he has made us extremely proud of him. He has contributed financially to activities of both Christians and Muslims in our town in obvious demonstration of religious tolerance and harmony for which the community is well known, he said.