Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has commented on Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s remarks comparing Abuja to London, stating that there is a misrepresentation of progress and a disconnect from the realities faced by ordinary Nigerians.
Akpabio, during a joint session of the National Assembly where the 2025 budget proposal was presented, claimed that the nation’s capital now mirrors London in development.
“If the Senate President is feeling like he’s in London, it could be maybe the London of his own immediate environment,” Dalung stated in an ARISE NEWS interview on Friday. He acknowledged ongoing construction in Abuja, as evidenced by increasing traffic jams, but argued that development should be measured by improvements in essential services, not infrastructure alone.
“In Abuja, I know there is no water. Most people support themselves with private initiatives through boreholes. The school system here, the public schools, is not different from any part of Nigeria,” he stated. He further questioned the focus on road dualisation projects, arguing that they primarily benefit the elite. “How many Nigerians have vehicles?… Development should be what touches the general well-being of the people.”
Dalung had earlier in the week alleged the presence of a powerful cabal within Tinubu’s administration, claiming it to be more dangerous than that of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s era.
“The infrastructure of the cabal is the distortion of the course of things from its natural or original form. It does not necessarily mean the president is not in control, but the president’s directive may be distorted along the line,” Dalung said, referencing controversies such as the handling of ministerial nominees.
In another light, while acknowledging that the president has taken steps to address Nigeria’s challenges, including palliative measures to ease economic hardship, Dalung criticised the lack of transparency and tangible impact. He stated that while the government calls for accountability in governance, the lack of transparency surrounding it requires attention.
Dalung called for a review of policies that have negatively impacted citizens, urging the administration to focus on alleviating hardships and ensuring that measures taken translate into meaningful benefits for Nigerians. “There is a need for transparency in the management of the palliative regime…because there seems to be more action without motion,” he concluded.
Frances Ibiefo
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