According to a report by Daily Post on Monday, July 13, 2026, Lai Mohammed, former Minister of Information, has recounted an encounter with the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, revealing how the ex-Nigerian leader jokingly questioned him about the number of people he had “killed through fasting.”
The incident, he said, occurred during one of several visits he made to Buhari in Kaduna alongside President Bola Tinubu and prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, Chief Bisi Akande.
Mohammed shared the experience during a commemorative event held in Abuja to mark the first anniversary of Buhari’s death.
While addressing attendees, he reflected on some of the memorable moments he had with the late president, describing one particular exchange that stood out because of Buhari’s sense of humour during their meetings.
He explained that the visits to Buhari began after the 2013 merger that led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress.
According to him, he regularly travelled with Tinubu and Akande to Kaduna to meet Buhari, and the meetings often coincided with either Monday or Thursday, the days on which he observed voluntary fasting.
Mohammed said that because he was fasting on those occasions, he consistently declined invitations to join Buhari and others at the dining table.
Rather than participate in the meals, he would politely excuse himself whenever food was served, maintaining his personal religious practice throughout the visits.
He noted that Buhari eventually became curious about his repeated refusal to eat and sought an explanation.
During one of the meetings, the late president asked Tinubu whether Mohammed did not trust him enough to share a meal in his home.
Tinubu then explained that Mohammed observed fasting every Monday and Thursday, which accounted for his absence from the table.
The former minister said Buhari’s reaction reflected his characteristic humour, as the late president responded with a light-hearted remark about the effects of Mohammed’s frequent fasting.
Mohammed presented the story as one of the many personal memories he cherished from his interactions with Buhari during the years they worked together in the APC before and after the party came to power.
He said, “After the merger in 2013, I used to accompany Chief Bisi Akande and the president today, Bola Tinubu to see the president in Kaduna and incidentally it used to be either a Monday or a Thursday.
“And every time I was invited to come to the table, I would excuse myself, until one day, the president asked Asiwaju, doesn’t Lai trust me enough to eat in my house? And Asiwaju no Lai fasts on Mondays and Thursdays…..See More
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