By Patrick Wemambu
Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has maintained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policies are deepening hunger and insecurity in Nigeria.
Speaking to a national publication monitored in Abuja Wednesday, Dalung blamed the current economic hardship, insecurity, and rising hunger in the country on what he described as ill-conceived policies by the president. He pointed accusing fingers especially at the removal of fuel subsidy and naira floatation, which he said were implemented without proper planning or mitigation strategies.
He said; “Tinubu’s administration for two years has been far below expectations. His personality was not new to the political climate, and many Nigerians believed he would replicate the so-called Lagos miracle at the national level.”
But Dalung argued that Tinubu quickly dashed those hopes by removing fuel subsidy on day one without having a functional government in place to manage the consequences.
“That ‘subsidy is gone’ declaration was reckless. It sent a signal that he lacked comprehension of the country’s situation,” Dalung stated.
According to the former minister, the administration’s economic policies were not only rushed but also lacked any real framework to absorb their aftershocks. He criticised the president for not consulting widely or subjecting his plans to rigorous scrutiny.
“If he was courageous enough, he would have subjected the policy to superior argument and the litmus test of scrutiny. But to cowardly ambush Nigerians as he did, was not courage at all,” Dalung said.
He insisted that had Tinubu genuinely understood governance at the national level, he would have approached such a critical economic reform with caution and dialogue.
Dalung painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s current socio-economic climate, blaming the presidency for worsening poverty, insecurity, and starvation.
“Nigerians are going through excruciating pains — hunger, starvation, insecurity, and economic strangulation,” he lamented.
He noted that the ripple effects of Tinubu’s early policy missteps are what the nation is battling today and concluded that the president’s performance has been ‘disappointing and far below expectations.’
