I have often wondered why Muslims and Islamic laws in Nigeria only sanction the poor or powerless. Sharia laws and its enforcement arm like Hisbah in Kano can never be found apprehending the rich or their children. They are only interested in petty thieves, alcohol depots, and Kannywood actresses who dress outside their dress code. My wonderment draws me to the fact that individuals like Lai Mohammed who have creditably earned the title of greatest liar in Nigeria, should have been excommunicated and made to change his name. This is because Lai Mohammed is doing one of the greatest disservices to who and what his last name represents. Recently, a Lagos-based entertainment journalist and a prominent photographer Dayo Adedayo joined the choir of those singing the paise of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his suitability of becoming the next president of Nigeria. They gave many reasons. One of them is the fact that Tinubu has trained and empowered many leaders who have risen to national prominence. Just like James Ibori has helped to create a situation where a state like Delta State with all its oil revenue is still heavily indebted from the corrupt governance of Ibori’s successors and those he empowered to state prominence.

Yes, Tinubu’s men like Yemi Osinbajo, Babatunde Fashola, and Lai Mohammed are in power, nonetheless, these 3 Tinubu mentees are all antiheroes in the present day Nigeria because of their role in Nigeria’s retrogression under their watch. Chief among them is Lai Mohammed. He is one of Tinubu’s mentees who points to the theory that mentorship by Tinubu corrupts the value system of the individual in question. Lai Mohammed is a man who is incapable of giving a truthful narrative in any circumstance. Lying is so hardwired into his psyche that he would lie about a situation where telling the truth will help this colossally incompetent government. Being a spokesman to someone like Buhari is not an easy task. But it is also an opportunity to be creative in softening the image of the government locally and globally. Lai Mohammed’s recent response to CNN’s exposure of what really happened in Lekki during the #ENDSARS protests shows the level of reasoning that has made Lai Mohammed the Lying Mohammed that he has become. The irony of Lai’s lies is that he is a lawyer who is fully aware of the liabilities of his lying ways.

I recently stumbled on the 8 of September 2017 Twitter post by Lai Mohammed where he spoke about the change the Buhari administration promised Nigerians. He attached a Sahara Reporters post showing Buhari watching a 32 inches color television. He then ended the post with the comments that Goodluck Jonathan used the biggest TVs. I could not believe what my reading eyes were seeing. If it was not directly from his Twitter account, I would have concluded that the post is fake news. The post brought back memories of the various lies Lai Mohammed lied about the Goodluck Jonathan government. A post from 11 April 2016 showed Lai castigating Rotimi Amaechi that his party does not need more liars.

We don’t need ‘more liars’ in our party. Amaechi appears to be one plus he’s full of controversies too. He should prove the NASS wrong.

Another post posted on the 11 of April 2016 showed him proudly boasting about his lying abilities:

I’m far better than Deji in lying but I never lied like this. A bullet fired from China can’t kill in Nigeria

#Uniport

#UNIPORTPROTEST

After going through Lai Mohammed’s Twitter account and other statements of his, I returned to my earlier state of wonderment. I asked myself how such a man emerged as a presidential spokesman. I could say his parenting and his alma maters of the University of Lagos and the Obafemi Awolowo University did not instill these lying virtues in him. This leaves me with the other great influence in his life – his religion and Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Which do you think made him the super lair he is today?

Ata Ukuta, Editor – www.towncryyers.com