[The Presidential blog]: See what Minister Lai Mohammed has been up to [PHOTOS]

While the rest of the leadership have been taking one side or the other in the “cabal” can of worms that Mrs Aisha Buhari opened up in her interview with the BBC Hausa service couple of weeks ago, Minister Lai Mohamed has been conspicuously silent.

Some of our own cabals here at YNaija (*side eye to those we shall not name*) have been theorising so I decided to seek out Minister of Information and Culture. You know, see what our favourite information minister has been up to.

It turns out Alhaji Lai Mohammed has just been really too absorbed with the arts scene in Nigeria to show up for the drama.

Not out of sync with his official duties, Alhaji Lai Mohammed spent the past couple of weeks attending two major cultural events in the country.

abuja-festFirst, he was spotted in Abuja at the closing of the Abuja International Film Festival at the Silverbird Cinemas in Abuja.

In his closing remarks the Minister commended the event organisers and noted that “the festival has finally stamped its authority, not only in Nigeria film industry, but world over.”

And then on Friday, we caught up with Alhaji Lai Mohammed (virtually) at the opening of the commemorative art exhibition of the Benin Kingdom.

lai-mohammed-beninlai-mohammed-benin-art

The exhibition was part of the coronation ceremonies for the new Oba of Benin, Oba Eheneden Erediauwa, Oba Ewuare II, N’Ogidigan.

At the opening of the exhibition, the minister lamented the plundering prices of Benin art works during the attack on the ancient Benin Kingdom by the British in 1897.

“Although some of the works have been repatriated, till date some other choice works are still adorning exhibition spaces in museums across Europe and Britain. For instance, the Idia Ivory mask, official symbol of the 2nd World Black Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC ’77) which took place in Nigeria in 1977, is still on display in a British museum.”

He commended the “highly skilled” Edo artisans for not giving up their labour of love and encouraged that the “rich culture is a spectacle for the global world to behold.”

There’s still a lot more festivals lined up before the year ends on Nigeria’s arts and culture scene so maybe we’ll keep looking out for the Minister. In fact, we’ll keep our eyes peeled at the closing of the American Film Showcase tomorrow to see if he’ll be there.

 

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