A former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has described President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day address as “rhetorical”, “wishful” and “disappointing”
Speaking on Thursday on ’s The Morning Brief, Dalung said the speech failed to give Nigerians an account of the successes recorded by the administration since it assumed office in 2023
He said the president should have used Nigeria’s 66th Independence anniversary to give an account of his administration’s performance and address major challenges confronting the country
“Because I think a speech by the president at our 66th anniversary—and he said three and a half years in office—should have concentrated more on giving Nigerians accountability; show concrete successes recorded so far by the reforms in the last three and a half years,” Dalung said
He said issues such as insecurity, agriculture, the economy, unemployment, hunger, poverty and Nigeria’s foreign policy should have received greater attention in the address
According to him, the president should also have highlighted the progress Nigeria made since independence and what his administration had achieved since taking office
In his address, Tinubu asked Nigerians to be patient with his administration, likening the country’s economic situation when he assumed office to that of a cancer patient requiring 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.
But Dalung said Nigerians had heard similar appeals for patience since the administration came into office “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 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, said that while the economy might have recorded growth, the figures should translate into improved living conditions for Nigerians.
He questioned how the reported economic growth had affected transportation costs and the purchasing power of ordinary 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 also criticised the president’s treatment of insecurity in the speech, saying Nigerians held in captivity were not sufficiently addressed Citing the situation in Plateau State, Dalung said frequent attacks and mass burials showed that the state was facing a serious 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.