Dalung Faults Tinubu's Independence Day Speech as Lacking Accountability
Solomon Dalung, who previously headed Nigeria's Ministry of Youth and Sports, has taken aim at President Bola Tinubu's Independence Day broadcast, calling it "rhetorical", "wishful" and "disappointing".
Dalung made the remarks on Thursday while appearing on Channels Television's The Morning Brief, where he argued that the president missed an opportunity to render an account of what his government has accomplished since taking office in 2023.
According to the former minister, Nigeria's 66th Independence anniversary was the right platform for the president to present a scorecard and confront the pressing problems facing the nation.
In Dalung's view, the address should have focused on delivering accountability to Nigerians and demonstrating tangible results from reforms carried out over the past three and a half years.
He listed insecurity, agriculture, the economy, unemployment, hunger, poverty and the country's foreign policy as areas that deserved more attention in the speech.
The former minister also said the president ought to have spoken about the strides Nigeria has made since gaining independence, alongside what his own administration has achieved.
During his address, Tinubu urged Nigerians to exercise patience with his government, comparing the state of the economy when he took over to that of a cancer patient who needs painful treatment.
"By 2023, poverty was rising, and hope was nearly gone. The country's situation was darker than ever. We had no choice but to act," Tinubu said.
Dalung countered that appeals of this nature have been made repeatedly since the administration assumed power.
"But all that the president has done was to tell Nigeria the same stories: 'Oh, be patient and expect our reforms will yield,'" he said.
"The question is, when shall the cancer victim recover? Because it does appear that the surgery has put him in a coma."
Dalung, who served in the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari, acknowledged that economic growth may have been recorded, but insisted that such figures must translate into better living standards for the populace.
He asked how the reported growth had influenced transport fares and the spending power of everyday Nigerians.
"So if we have recorded 4% economic growth, how has that been able to affect an average Nigerian? Because it has to be translated into putting something before the ordinary Nigerians," he said.
Dalung further faulted the president's handling of insecurity in the speech, saying the plight of Nigerians in captivity was not adequately addressed.
Referencing Plateau State, he said repeated attacks and mass burials were evidence that the state was grappling with a severe security crisis.
"Plateau State, for example, we are already running a full-blown war, because every day there is one attack or the other. Every day there are mass burials, so we are at war," he said.
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