Ex-minister Dalung berates Tinubu, Onanuga, says protest sacrosanct

A former minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, has berated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his media adviser, Bayo Onanuga, over athe latter’s description of the planned protest against bad governance as a plot to destabilise the country.

Dalung, who served as minister in the first term of former President Muhammadu Buhari, while using some unprintable names to describe the current president and his closest aides, said the protest was sacrosanct.

In a post on his X handle at the weekend, Dalung said Onanuga’s statement was not only uncharitable but wicked.

“Make no mistake about it, we love our country … The protest is to demand accountability from those who (are) destroying our common heritage. Nigerians have nowhere to go but @officialABAT has France, while others have Europe, Canada and the USA.

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“Therefore @aonanuga1956 (Onanuga) calling out Nigerians as those planning to destabilise Nigeria is not only uncharitable but wicked. The generation of Nigerians demanding good governance, accountability and justice are more entitled to Nigeria than the group … occupying power. Take it to the bank, the protest is sacrosanct.

“Deploying antics of divide and rule will not only fail but antiquated. The only antidote to the protest is for @officialABAT (Tinubu) and his … to surrender to the demands of the people. The fear of the protest degenerating into anarchy is an evil imagination of your mind calculated at abating holding the government responsible. All we are demanding is good governance, which is not too much.”

But reacting to the former minister’s statement, the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) claimed that the comment was an apparent attempt to incite the youth into violent protests and civil disobedience.

AYCF in a statement issued by its President General, Yerima Shettima said, “We urge the Nigerian public to reject his attempts to regain political relevance and to support leaders who are committed to promoting transparency, accountability and good governance.”