Idris: As Nigeria’s Chief Image Maker Turns 60

By Simon Reef

Unlike in the past, when the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation was not manned by consummate professionals worthy of their positions, the inauguration of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration on 29th May 2023 marked a defining moment in appointing a true professional to oversee the management of public information. Almost trapped in the hole of propaganda for the eight years former President Muhammadu Buhari ruled the country, the then Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, turned the public information into a propaganda machinery devoid of public trust.

Since the appointment of Hon. Mohammed Idris as Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation in August 2023, his ministerial footprints have left an inspiring moment in the nation’s information network, which was once supervised by persons whose professional calling was not only wanting but also placed the country’s reputation on edge. To demonstrate his capacity to perform and rise to the challenges of managing the information ministry, Idris has been honoured for sterling recognition of excellence in public communication, transparency and media relations.

Last Friday, in recognition of his performance as Information Minister, he was honoured with the Vanguard Image Maker award (2026) due to his commitment to building trust in government communication. Before his appointment, some Nigerians had always seen the Information ministry as managed as the chief propagandist. However, nearly three years after the serial entrepreneur and founder of media outfits has not only lived up to his promise never to lie to his fellow citizens, Idris has carved a niche in evolving templates for the smooth management of public information.

In acknowledging his authentic management of public communication, the Minister, in 2025, received the Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service (NEAPS) for Public Communication and Transparency. The award, presented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, was in recognition of his contributions to national communication and public sector reforms by the BusinessDay newspapers. In yet another recognition of his role in the promotion of transparency and safeguarding press freedom, he was conferred with the NUJ Lifetime Achievement Award (2024) by the Nigeria Union of Journalists during the Press Freedom and Good Governance Award Night.

In another instance of his role in promoting transparency and safeguarding press freedom in the All Progressives Congress (APC), he was in 2025 conferred with the BAT Vanguard Award by the APC Support Group in recognition of his major contributions to Nigeria’s development and humanitarian values. In all of these awards and recognitions, the role of the minister as a strategic communicator and truth-speaking information manager is never in doubt. When, in August 2023, he vowed never to lie for the Federal Government, not many believed him, as the role of the Minister of Information had become synonymous with a propaganda apparatus in the defence of the government’s opinion. It was the loss of this confidence by previous ministers in charge of public information that weakened the efficiency of the public information, thus making citizens to doubt the sincerity in the capacity of the government’s information organs to deliver on agency to deliver on their mandates.

Hon. Idris’ promise of ensuring peaceful resolution of all disagreements with negative and false reports by the media was tested early in July 2024, when a controversy broke out between Daily Trust and the Federal Government regarding the Samoa Agreement centered on a report that alleged that the government had signed a deal that endorsed LGBTQ rights in exchange for a $150 billion loan. The core dispute in the claim, as reported by the newspaper, was that the agreement contained clauses mandating Nigeria to support LGBTQ rights as a condition for financial aid. The government strongly denied this, insisting that the agreement contains no such provisions and is focused on economic development and climate change. In the end, the matter was referred to the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), which investigated the matter. The Ombudsman ruled against the newspaper, and Daily Trust eventually published an apology in October 2024, acknowledging the “sloppy reporting” and a “misleading headline.”

Considering the actions or inactions of his immediate predecessor, not many gave the Minister a chance to roll back the negative impression some citizens have of the role of a how public information is managed. Nearly three years since he was appointed to oversee the nation’s public information, this founder of media outfits and consummate public relations expert has left nothing to chnace in ensuring citizens understand the dynamics behind policies and challenges faced by government.

Though the promise of renewed hope by the Tinubu Presidency remains entangled in the web of insecurity and hardship caused by current economic reforms that have seen millions of Nigerians swimming against the tide of gushing poverty, it is to the credit of Hon. Idris that citizens still have hope amidst the despair, but still believe that the future is worth fighting for.

Born 60 years ago, on May 2, 1966, the child who later became Minister of Information undertook his primary and secondary education in Kontagora and Rijau, Niger State. After bagging a degree in English at the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, in 1987, he proceeded to acquire a master’s degree at the Bayero University Kano, where he taught Communications Skills between 1989 and 1991. Hon Idris taught English and Communication Skills at the Federal College of Education (FCE), Katsina, from 1989 to 1994. Idris’ footprints in the field of public relations, as shown by many appointments, have earned him many laurels.

As Minister for nearly two years, Idris has evolved templates in ensuring creative management of public information where both the government and the media are engaged in dialogue in surmounting challenges that have contributed to weakening government and public perception of government affairs. Like the peaceful resolution of the Samoa Agreement clearly shows, there are no issues that cannot be tackled, as long as there is the will. Unlike in the past, when adversarial engagement between government and media in the management of public information, information has become something to be disseminated transparently and not through falsehood.

Under his headship, management of public information is seen from the point of aggregating the concept of information as an entire gamut of activities, with the necessary linkages followed towards achieving the goal of transmitting the truth. His nearly three decades of PR practice have exposed him to the nuances and intricacies involved in the management of information at the highest level. In tackling challenges of information management, the calm disposition of Idris created a platform for meetings with his predecessors in order to tap into their experiences. These regular meetings have helped in creating opportunities for him to rub minds with his predecessors on issues relating to information management. What’s more, Idris’ vast networks with critical media stakeholders, including his professional relationships in evolving a system of information that adds value to his mandates, set him apart as one of the nation’s inspiring chief image makers.

In democratising information and engaging critical stakeholders in the media towards promoting a new dawn of collaborative understanding, the ‘Kakakin Nupe’ has successfully established a system of engagements between top government functionaries and media practitioners for a better understanding of events and activities in various ministries. To boost the reach of these engagements between ministers and reporters, these programmes are broadcast live by major television stations, among others. Using the platforms, some ministers have appeared on the platforms and successfully explained their programmes to the public, thereby giving an account of their stewardship since their appointments.

There’s no doubt that Idris’ choice as the minister of information attests to the fact that when professionals are engaged, they achieve better than noisemakers who turned themselves into megaphones that are influenced by mundane politics. More than his predecessors, the media mogul has deployed his knowledge of the media and PR to change public perception that the federal government’s information system is simply the canary bird of falsehood and equivocations.

As Hon Idris turns 60 today, may what he dreams for his nation be realised in his lifetime. Happy Birthday, ‘Kakakin Nupe’, and may the future bring good health and energise your resolve in standing for humanity!

Simon Reef, a media practitioner, can be reached via: [email protected]