Kehinde Fajobi
Former Youth and Sports Minister Solomon Dalung has criticised the infrastructural developments in Abuja attributed to Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Dalung also rejected Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s claim that Abuja now resembles London.
Speaking on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on January 10, 2025, Dalung said the area he resides in does not resemble London.
“If the Senate President is feeling like he’s in London, it could be the London of his own immediate environment,” he remarked.
He further dismissed the portrayal of Wike’s projects in Abuja, calling it a misrepresentation of progress. According to Dalung, the city lacks essential amenities like proper schools and healthcare services.
“I think there is misrepresentation of progress and limiting it to the elites alone or privileged class. It’s unfair. In Abuja, I know there’s no water. Most people support themselves with private initiatives through boreholes.
“The public school system in Abuja is not different from (those) in any part of Nigeria. The healthcare delivery system is of course like a transit camp,” he said.
Dalung argued that road construction projects do not equate to real development, as they don’t improve the general wellbeing of the people.
“These are the services that affect common people directly, not road construction. How many poor Nigerians have vehicles, so we cannot be emphasising dualisation or road construction as development,” he concluded.
Earlier, Dalung had also criticised the “dangerous cabals” surrounding President Bola Tinubu, stating they disconnect him from the realities of Nigerians’ struggles.
When asked to name these individuals, Dalung declined, saying he reserves the right to remain silent.