Prominent publisher and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Dele Momodu, has strongly criticised President Bola Tinubu over his nationwide broadcast marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
In a post shared on his verified X account on Thursday, Momodu described the President’s speech as one that transformed what should have been a day of national celebration into a moment of collective lamentation.
The Ovation Magazine publisher took particular exception to Tinubu’s analogy comparing Nigeria to a cancer patient who had previously survived on painkillers, with the President positioning himself as the skilled surgeon who arrived to perform a lasting cure. Momodu argued that the comparison was inappropriate.
“Dear Mr President, please permit me to wish you a Happy Independence Day on our 66th anniversary. Today is supposed to be a day of celebration, but your speech turned it into a day of lamentation,” Momodu wrote.
He continued: “You specifically mentioned morphine as the drug of choice by your predecessors. I’m not sure this analogy was appropriate. At the time you assumed power, Nigeria probably had stage-two cancer, at the worst.”
Momodu expressed deep disappointment, stating that his “heart bled” as he listened to the address. He insisted that the President’s administration was expected to stabilise the country rather than allow its challenges to escalate into what he termed “stage-four cancer.”
According to the media mogul, Nigeria has generated more revenue and accumulated more loans under the current government. Yet, he lamented, insecurity has worsened, poverty levels have risen sharply, and many politicians have remained largely insensitive to the plight of ordinary citizens.