A former Minister of Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has criticized the federal government, accusing it of lacking the necessary political will to address the worsening security challenges across Nigeria. Dalung stated that the administration of President Bola Tinubu appears more focused on the 2027 general elections than on protecting the lives of citizens who are affected by daily terrorist attacks and kidnappings.
The former minister, who served under President Muhammadu Buhari, made these assertions on Friday during an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show. He expressed deep dissatisfaction with the three-year track record of the Tinubu administration regarding national security, economic management, and political leadership.
Dalung expressed concern over the contrasting capabilities of the state in tracking critics versus tracking criminals. He stated, “Government seems not to have the political will to deal with it. They have all the gadgets to track anybody who criticises the government, they can pick him up in the next five minutes. But they don’t have equipment to track terrorists who display huge phones in the forest, behead teachers, abduct schoolchildren, torture them in the forest, produce videos and send,”
He further described a recent call by the Minister of Information for Nigerians to unite against terrorism as uncalled for, embarrassing, and demoralizing. According to Dalung, such a statement serves as an admission of incapacity by the government rather than a constructive message. He noted, “I think it’s a statement confirming that the federal government has completely and woefully failed. They don’t seem to have any idea of a solution to the ravaging insecurity that is across the country,”
The former minister pointed out that the current counter-terrorism efforts suffer from a lack of a unified strategy and the absence of political determination. He explained that security agencies, including the military and the intelligence community, operate independently in silos, with each scrambling for relevance to access the president instead of cooperating to confront insurgents. He warned that criminal groups have established a parallel forest economy that allows them to remain self-sustaining. Dalung also raised questions about the effectiveness of foreign military aid, stating, “We were told that the Americans are here with us. If the Americans are here with us, what have they been doing? We have not felt their impact,” He urged the government to allow local communities to manage their own protection.
Turning his attention to the political landscape ahead of the 2027 polls, Dalung lamented the re-emergence of regional division, comparing it to the political landscape of the First Republic where multiple geopolitical zones are positioning their own presidential candidates. He remarked, “Nigeria has returned to the politics of the first republic, where regions now have their political parties. Almost all the zones have presidential candidates. So ultimately, in 2027, we may be facing serious confusion as we advance towards election,” He added that the north-central zone would likely serve as the critical battleground for votes.
Dalung summarized the performance of the current administration over the past three years as a period of unfulfilled expectations. Criticizing the lack of tangible economic relief, he stated, “Three years into his tenure, it is just blame game and rhetorics of reforms, reforms that no single iota of the benefit has trickled down. Rather, Nigerians are getting impoverished daily. The economy is in doldrums. Insecurity remains rhetorical,”
In contrast, a political scientist, Obafemi George, who also participated in the broadcast, rejected Dalung’s conclusions and maintained that the administration needs more time to realize the outcomes of its challenging economic policies. George pointed to the recent upgrade of Nigeria’s sovereign credit rating from B- to B by global ratings agency Standard and Poor’s as an indication of growing economic stability. He also argued that regional geopolitical shifts, specifically the exit of French military forces from the Sahel region, created a security vacuum that international terrorist networks quickly exploited. Defending the security record of the government, George stated, “This current administration has confronted insecurity that is higher than the previous administration, spent more, and recorded more successes in combating insecurity,” He referenced successful rescue operations conducted in Goza and Katsina during the month of May as clear indicators of operational progress.
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