US praise for Tinubu does not reflect Nigeria’s security reality – Dalung

Former Minister and ADC chieftain Solomon Dalung has criticised recent praise by the United States for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s handling of security, arguing that the commendation does not reflect the realities of persistent killings and kidnappings across Nigeria.

Speaking during an interview with Trust TV on Thursday, Dalung alleged that the positive remarks from the United States followed an intensive lobbying effort by the Nigerian government, although he did not provide evidence to support the claim.

“Since that statement, I had been expecting a report, and it is only now that we got the report. The lobbying of President Tinubu in Washington has now paid off,” he said.

Dalung described the reported assessment as misleading, insisting that insecurity remains widespread, particularly in northern Nigeria.

“To all intents and purposes, the report is just deceit because the obvious realities on the ground are different. The killings of people continue across the country, especially in the northern states. None of these states has seen the violence abate,” he said.

Dalung further alleged that the United States was focused on broader geopolitical priorities and suggested that this might have influenced its public assessment of Nigeria’s security situation.

“I think the Americans are trying to distract attention because they are fighting so many battles. They are in the Middle East, so they need to ease their participation in Nigeria and concentrate elsewhere,” he said.

He also contended that foreign support had not produced tangible improvements in Nigeria’s security landscape.

“Since the Americans came, the terrorists, bandits and kidnappers have continued attacking, killing and kidnapping with impunity. There is no single achievement they can point to,” he said.

Citing the recent killings of farmers in Zamfara State, he noted that both the attackers and victims were Muslims.

“Those who killed the farmers in Zamfara are Muslims, and they killed their fellow Muslims. Though you have violence affecting Christians in some places and Muslims in others,” Dalung said.

Dalung further alleged that Nigeria’s political class was failing to address insecurity adequately ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“For me, it is a genocide against the poor and a conspiracy of the political class in order to promote their political ambitions in 2027,” he said.