“Empty, Rhetorical, Wishful” — Former Buhari Minister Solomon Dalung Tears Tinubu’s 66th Independence Speech Apart

A former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has described President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day address as “rhetorical”, “wishful” and “disappointing”, saying it failed to give Nigerians accountability.

Dalung spoke on Thursday on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. He said at 66 years of independence and three and a half years in office, the President should have used the anniversary to give a concrete account of his administration’s performance.

“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 major issues such as insecurity, agriculture, the economy, unemployment, hunger, poverty and Nigeria’s foreign policy should have received greater attention, as well as progress Nigeria has made since independence.

President Tinubu in his address had asked Nigerians to be patient, likening Nigeria’s economic situation in 2023 to 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 have heard the same appeal for patience since 2023. “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.

He then asked: “The question is, when shall the cancer victim recover? Because it does appear that the surgery has put him in a coma.”

The former Minister, who served under Muhammadu Buhari, said economic growth figures must translate to living conditions.

“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, questioning how growth has impacted transportation costs and purchasing power.

Dalung also criticised Tinubu’s handling of insecurity, saying Nigerians held in captivity were not sufficiently addressed in the speech.

Citing Plateau State, he said the state is at war. “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.