The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, yesterday, said that the Federal Government’s war against corruption was a panacea for development.
Mohammed said this in an interview with newsmen shortly after a courtesy visit to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State at the State House, Alausa, Ikeja.
“Corruption is eating deep not just into the fabric of our moral but is preventing development.
“The emphasis of this government today is not just to talk about figures of how much has been embezzled,” he said.
Mohammed said that the Federal Government was also more concerned about letting Nigerians know how corruption had affected them.
“More importantly, what the government wants to do is to let Nigerians know the cost of what corruption has done to them.
“When we had a news conference in January and disclosed that 55 people allegedly stole N1.34 trillion between 2007 and 2013, what we tried to emphasise then was what one third of that money could have done to Nigeria,” Mohammed said.
He said that this money would have been used to bring more development to the country.
Mohammed said that the government was not out to witch hunt or vilify anybody and urged Nigerians to cooperate with it in its fight against corruption.
He said that the essence of the visit was to solicit the support of the Lagos State Government on the redevelopment of the National Museum at Onikan and the National Arts Theatre in Iganmu.
Mohammed acknowledged several on-going projects in the state, saying that when completed they would boost tourism.
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture will hold a National Summit on Culture and Tourism in March in an effort to make the Culture and Tourism Sector a major revenue earner for the country.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Ahaji Lai Mohammed, announced the plan to host the summit, yesterday, when he paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, in his office in Lagos.
He said the summit, to be held in Abuja April 11th and 12th, would bring all stakeholders together to examine and proffer solutions to the problems mitigating against culture and tourism being huge revenue earners for the country.
“The summit will signpost our determination to put culture and tourism at the very centre of the Federal Government’s on-going efforts to diversify the economy away from oil,” Mohammed said.
He used the opportunity of the visit to invite Ambode to the summit, saying Lagos State, which is a foremost hub of entertainment, arts, culture and tourism, has a big role to play in the efforts to reposition the creative industry in the country.
The minister hailed the Lagos State Government for embarking on the provision of security and infrastructure, both of which are critical to boosting culture and tourism.
“With the drastic fall in the price of crude oil, the Federal Government is currently in the process of diversifying the country’s economy to shift emphasis to other key sectors like tourism, agriculture and solid minerals. With particular reference to tourism, we have a lot to learn from the giant strides that have been made by this state in the provision of infrastructure, which is critical to stimulating tourism.
“The intra-city rail transportation system that is expected to come on stream in December 2016, the 10-lane highway to Bagadry, which is one of the state’s foremost tourist destinations, and the provision of effective security through the innovative Lagos State Security Trust Fund all stand the state in good stead to remain the top tourist destination for a long time to come,” he said.
The minister also sought the support of Lagos State Government for the Federal Government’s efforts to revamp the National Theatre and restore its lost shine.
“Let me reiterate that the Federal Government will not sell the National Theatre. Our plan is to develop the fallow land around the edifice, using the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, and then use the proceeds to rehabilitate the National Theatre. Again, Lagos State is a trailblazer in this respect, having successfully leveraged the PPP model for the Lekki Expressway,” he said.
Responding, Ambode said he has accepted the invitation to participate at the summit, adding:  “We will bring a large team.”
He commended Mohammed for his invaluable role, as the national publicity secretary, in the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the last general elections, saying his appointment as minister of Information and Culture was well deserved.
The governor stressed the need for the country to pay greater attention to the service sector which, he said, has been neglected for a long time.