US Firm Appoints Lai Mohammed Managing Partner on Government Relations

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has been appointed by one of the leading government relations firms in the United States, Ballard Partners, as the Managing Partner for Abuja office and the firm’s satellite office in Lagos.

In a statement that the President and Founder of the firm, Brian Ballard, signed yesterday, the firm said it was opening its first African office in Nigeria to expand its international footprint to three continents and build upon the work it has done on behalf of African nations and companies in Africa and the US.

The statement said: “We are honoured to have former Minister Lai Mohammed joining the firm as our managing partner in Nigeria. He has a long record of public service and is one of the most respected officials in the country. His outstanding reputation and exceptional experience will be invaluable to our firm’s clients.”

Mohammed served as the Minister of Information and Culture between 2015 and 2023 as well as the spokesperson, reputation manager and information management strategist-in-chief of Africa’s most populous country and biggest economy.

He was also the Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, when the latter was the governor of Lagos State, and was the first two-term Minister of Information and Culture in the history of Nigeria and a holder of one of the country’s highest honours, Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) for service to the country.

“I am very pleased to join Ballard Partners and to open the firm’s first office in Africa. Ballard Partners has an impeccable reputation internationally and is well known for its success representing African countries and American firms in Africa. The opportunities in Nigeria are substantial, and I look forward to helping the firm’s clients achieve their objectives,” Mohammed said.

Mohammed graduated with second-class upper honours with dual degrees in Modern European Languages (majoring in French) and Law, and was called to the Nigerian bar in 1986.