Former Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung has warned Nigerians to brace up for more economic hardships come 2026 when the Government unleashes its numerous tax venom on the people.
Dalung said from next year,the burden of Nigerians will multiply when the government activate the 5% tax on petroleum products, which will affect every litre of fuel Nigerians buy, plus the already increased electricity tariffs, data charges, and poor security.
He told VDCInsights.com that Nigerians are already too traumatized to resist this hardship because government has used force in the past, killing protesters and detaining schoolchildren as “terrorists.”
The former minister argued that the country’s democracy was not just threatened, but under siege, pointing out that ‘The long history of military rule distorted Nigeria’s federal system,and enthroned the practice of military federalism, with powerful president and weak states.’
Dalung noted that since 1999, it has been the rule of men, not the rule of law, with Presidents behaving like sovereigns, whereas in true democracy, sovereignty belongs to the people.
He took a swipe at the National Assembly rating them minus 10 over 100 in oversight and lawmaking, positing that ‘everything they do is in their own interest, not for the people’.
The former Jos South Council chairman in Plateau State argued that the 10th National Assembly have failed in their oversight functions of checkmating the President and called them “Emilokan choristers” because they only sing praises to the president.
On Rivers State, he said: ‘The president’s declaration of emergency and removal of the governor shows we are sliding into monarchy. It was not about insecurity but about protecting godfatherism.’
Dalung further stated ‘The people of Rivers rejected godfather control, and that annoyed the federal government. A sole administrator was imposed, which is unconstitutional. Rivers was peaceful, more than states like Zamfara, Katsina, or Kaduna, so the security excuse was false. The whole thing was to rescue the president’s ally from disgrace.’
He equally carpeted the August 30 Local Council Elections in Rivers State saying ’The result is not surprising because the process was illegitimate,and described the FCT Minister as a ‘Rainbow Politician’, who is both PDP and APC, despite all he said before the 2023 General Elections about the party.
Dalung concluded ‘Nigeria is no longer under true democracy but sliding fast into dictatorship disguised as democracy.’
