A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Dele Momodu, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his Independence Day address, arguing that the country’s condition has deteriorated since the President assumed office in 2023.
Momodu, in a post on his verified X account on Thursday, said Tinubu’s broadcast failed to reflect the celebratory mood expected on Nigeria’s 66th Independence anniversary and instead left him disappointed.
The publisher of Ovation Magazine particularly challenged the President’s comparison of Nigeria to a cancer patient who had previously been kept alive with painkillers before his administration came in to administer what he described as stronger treatment.
Momodu argued that Nigeria, in his assessment, was not at the advanced stage described by Tinubu when the administration took over, insisting that the government ought to have focused on stabilising the country rather than allowing its difficulties to deepen.
He also faulted the decision to remove the fuel subsidy shortly after Tinubu assumed office, describing the policy as a major misstep and alleging that it contributed to the economic difficulties experienced by Nigerians.
According to the former presidential candidate, the government’s record should be assessed against issues including insecurity, poverty, borrowing and public spending. He also criticised what he described as the increasing focus on elections at the expense of governance.
Momodu further said many Nigerians had become disappointed with the administration’s promises, arguing that clearer signs of improvement should have emerged by this stage of the government’s tenure.
While acknowledging that Nigeria’s problems could not be solved within a single four-year term, he maintained that citizens should already be able to see evidence of progress.
His criticism followed Tinubu’s nationwide broadcast marking the 66th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, in which the President defended his administration’s economic reforms and used a medical analogy to describe the country’s condition before he took office.
