October 1: ‘Your Speech Turned Independence Day to Lamentation’ — Dele Momodu Tackles Tinubu

African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain and publisher of Ovation International, Dele Momodu, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his Independence Day broadcast, accusing the President of turning what should have been a day of celebration into a “day of lamentation.”

Momodu reacted to Tinubu’s nationwide address marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary in a post on his verified X account on Thursday. 

A major point of disagreement was Tinubu’s use of a medical analogy to describe Nigeria’s economic condition before he assumed office. In his address, the President likened the country to a cancer patient that had been kept alive by painkillers before his administration came in as a surgeon.

Momodu rejected the analogy, arguing that Nigeria was not in the terminal condition portrayed by the President when he took office.

“Today is supposed to be a day of celebration, but your speech turned it into a day of lamentation,” Momodu said. 

He argued that Nigeria was, at worst, at “stage two” when Tinubu assumed office and accused the administration of worsening the situation rather than stabilising it.

According to Momodu, Tinubu’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy immediately after assuming office was a “misadventure” and he said he expected the President to apologise for what he described as the consequences of the policy.

He also questioned the administration’s economic record, pointing to increased government revenue and borrowing while arguing that insecurity and poverty had worsened.

Momodu further criticised what he described as political insensitivity and an increasing focus on elections ahead of governance. He said the administration’s “Renewed Hope” slogan had, in his view, collapsed into “hopelessness and abject despair.” 

The ADC chieftain also said Nigerians were increasingly losing confidence in government promises and questioned whether citizens would continue accepting what he characterised as “endless excuses” with the next elections approaching.

Tinubu, however, used his Independence Day address to defend his administration’s reforms, including the removal of petrol subsidy and foreign-exchange reforms. He argued that the reforms confronted weaknesses that had accumulated over decades rather than creating them, while pointing to economic growth, lower inflation, improved foreign reserves and increased non-oil exports as signs of progress. 

Momodu’s comments add to the political debate surrounding Tinubu’s assessment of Nigeria’s economic situation and the impact of his administration’s reforms as the country marks its 66th Independence Anniversary.