In an interview with Nigerian Tribune, Solomon Dalung, a former Minister for Youth and Sports Development, criticized the current administration’s handling of the ongoing nationwide protests against government policies and economic hardship.
Dalung argued that while supporters of President Tinubu’s government claim that various measures have been implemented to alleviate hardship and revamp the economy, these measures appear ineffective. He stated that the administration’s responses seemed panicked and lacked concrete solutions.
According to Dalung, despite the distribution of palliatives since June 2023, these have largely remained unfulfilled and only appear in newspaper reports. He contended that such palliatives, when they do reach the public, often only benefit members of the ruling political party and do not address the needs of the broader population.
Dalung also disputed claims about the availability of affordable rice, noting that the government’s assertions about selling a bag of rice for N40,000 were not reflected in the market, and criticized the commercialization and privatization of the national reserve. He emphasized the need for more practical and tangible solutions from the government.
In his words: “They have been distributing palliatives since June 2023, but the palliatives have always been on the pages of newspapers. It has not gotten to the common people. Even if it goes to the common people, it can only go to the members of the political party in government in the states, and members of the political party do not constitute one-third of the population of a state. This is the irony.
“Then, on the issue of selling a bag of rice for N40,000, many people have proved them wrong by going to the markets — there is no rice selling for N40,000. Where do they get the rice in the first instance? The government doesn’t even have the national reserve again because it has been commercialised and privatised. I think they need to be more practical and concrete”….Seē _ Morē
