From Abba Dukawa, Abuja
In a startling revelation, Barrister Solomon Dalung, former Minister of Youth and Sports, has admitted that the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration misled Nigerians during its eight-year tenure.
Dalung made the confession in an interview on the ‘Mic On Podcast’ with popular TV host Seun Okinboloye on Sunday.
A member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during Buhari’s first term in office (2015-2019), Dalung expressed deep disappointment with the administration, accusing it of betraying the trust of the Nigerian people.
“I am completely disappointed because what we told Nigerians was not what happened. We lied; we deceived Nigerians. Even though we used the phrase ‘people deceive people’ to criticize the PDP, we became a replica of the same tactics we accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of,” Dalung stated.
He further claimed that President Buhari was manipulated by political elites to serve their interests, describing the former president as a “stranger in his own government.”
“Buhari’s charisma was needed at that time by the political elites to eliminate [Goodluck] Jonathan. But once Buhari took power, this group of political elites hijacked the government. Buhari became a stranger, and I can corroborate this because, in 2020, I went to see the president and said to him, ‘Mr. President, this wasn’t what we promised Nigerians.’
Dalung recounted how he confronted Buhari about the worsening insecurity and hardship in the country.
“When we came in, it was only the North-East that had security issues. By 2020, it was not even safe to travel from Abuja to Kaduna. I told the president, ‘If you don’t believe me, send out a brigade of guards now, and I’ll join you. We’ll drive from Abuja to Daura. If bandits don’t attack us, I’ll go into exile.’”
“To be fair to the president, he seemed surprised, indicating that some of the things I was telling him were news to him,” Dalung added.
The former minister also revealed that Buhari was often unaware of major incidents occurring during his administration. Dalung recalled an event where the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) clashed in Asokoro District, Abuja, holding the community hostage for three days, without the president’s knowledge.
“It was me, during a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, who informed him about the incident. I expected it to be on the agenda, but it wasn’t. I had to bring it up under ‘Any Other Business,’ and the president was completely confused by what I was saying. At the end of the meeting, we even left without a closing prayer because he was visibly angry. On my way to the office, I saw those two agencies—directly under his office—holding a community hostage for three days over some interest, and the president had no idea,” he recalled.
Dalung attributed the developments to a cabal around Buhari, including the National Security Adviser (NSA) at the time and other officials, who failed to inform the president about crucial events.
When asked if the Buhari-led government had been hijacked during his tenure, Dalung responded affirmatively, suggesting that the former president’s integrity was exploited for political purposes.
“For me, Buhari’s integrity was a political tool used to eliminate Jonathan and his government,” he said.
Dalung’s comments have sparked widespread reactions, shedding new light on the inner workings of the Buhari administration.