The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said
that Nigerians crave for consumption of foreign goods contributed to the
depletion of the nation’s foreign reserves.
The minister made the statement on Thursday in Lagos at the unveiling of
the national reorientation campaign “Change Begins With Me” to Corporate
Nigeria.
He said that the campaign was meant to canvass for such attitudinal change
and correct other ills in the society.
“In simple parlance, the campaign is geared towards achieving attitudinal
change. “As they say, you cannot continue to do things the same way and
expect a different result.
“Against the background that our core values have witnessed total
breakdown in the past years, it is imperative that we re-orientate
ourselves with a view to restoring those time-tested values,’’ Mohammed
said.
The minister pointed out that contrary to the views of some critics, the
campaign was leadership-driven.
He said that President Muhammadu Buhari and his entire cabinet had been
living true to the national re-orientation campaign, long before it was
publicly unveiled last month.
Mohammed noted that the President demonstrated that change began with him
when he rejected the purchase of new vehicles on assumption of office. He
added that the president had also directed his convoy not to break traffic
rules.
He said: “the President demonstrated leadership when he rejected the
purchase of new vehicles for his use, thus saving N400 million.
“Thanks to his action, no minister purchases new vehicles, saving millions
more.
“Then upon assuming office, the President instructed his convoy to always
respect traffic rules. The Ministers all followed suit.
“Today, ministers queue up at airports and filling stations. Their
lifestyle is devoid of any ostentation.
“The Federal Executive Council is not left behind. The weekly FEC Meeting
starts on time. Indeed, change started with us a long time ago.”
The minister appealed to the private sector to support the campaign,
adding that they were key to its success.
In a presentation, Mohammed outlined the different options available to
the private sector to key into the campaign, including Platinum, Gold,
Diamond and Channel partnerships.
Some representatives of the private sector, who spoke at the event,
expressed support for the campaign, saying it could not have come at a
better time.