By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s 65th Independence Anniversary address, describing it as brilliant rhetoric that lacked substance and failed to provide practical solutions to Nigeria’s pressing challenges.
Asked to react to the President’s speech by Vanguard, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said Tinubu’s declaration that ‘the worst is over’ offered no clarity on what Nigerians should expect going forward.
“The question we should ask is: When the President says the worst is over, what does that really mean? What does success look like? What should we expect now that the President has declared the worst is behind us? Because when the President makes such a claim, he is suggesting that our suffering has been worthwhile,” Abdullahi said.
He noted that the President’s optimism contrasted sharply with the daily reality of hardship and insecurity still faced by ordinary Nigerians.
“The average Nigerian will ask: if the worst is over, why am I still suffering? If the worst is over, what should I therefore expect? As I said, it was a brilliant political speech, but it promises nothing. It says nothing about what will actually affect the lives of Nigerians,” he added.
On security, the ADC spokesman criticised Tinubu’s emphasis on the killing of some terrorist leaders as proof of progress, saying it reflected a shallow understanding of the magnitude of the crisis.
“To reduce the complexity of insecurity in Nigeria to the elimination of a few terrorist leaders suggests that the President does not fully understand the magnitude of the challenges we face. Just this week, a colleague of ours was murdered in the Federal Capital Territory when 14 armed robbers invaded the premises, according to reports. How does the killing of a handful of terrorists address that?” Abdullahi queried.
He further cited rising violence in Kwara State, long regarded as one of the most peaceful in the country, where videos have surfaced showing people being killed in broad daylight.
According to him, the President failed to acknowledge the scale of insecurity or outline specific measures to guarantee the safety of citizens.
“He did not say: This is what we will do now to ensure Nigerians will no longer be killed at will. Instead, he declared that there is light at the end of the tunnel. But all we see is a red light, if indeed we see any light at all,” he stated.
Abdullahi stressed that while Tinubu’s address might make newspaper headlines, it provided little assurance for struggling Nigerians.
“For me, as I said, it was good rhetoric, a brilliant speech that will make headlines in tomorrow’s newspapers. But for the average Nigerian, it means little. And the manner in which this is being done is shameful, because if things continue as they are, only God can help Nigeria,” he added.
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