Dino Melaye criticizes Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech

Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye, on Friday slammed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech. He said the speech was out of touch with what Nigerians are really facing.

Melaye also urged the President to resign because of the worsening insecurity and increasing abductions across Nigeria.

He spoke in Abuja during a colloquium held to honor the late Raymond Dokpesi, who founded DAAR Communications. The event was organized by D-37, a group of political friends and supporters of the late media figure.

While talking about Tinubu’s June 12 address to the nation, Melaye said the speech did not show the struggles of ordinary Nigerians.

He stated, “I have a problem with every part of Tinubu’s June 12 broadcast speech because truth has no volume. If you increase it, it’s no longer the truth. If you decrease it, it’s no longer the truth. Everything in that speech did not represent the truth.”

Melaye added that the statistics were wrong, the intentions were not sincere, and the President seemed to speak about things he did not believe in. He said, “Every part of that speech is at variant with the practical experience of what Nigerians are going through. It carries no hope.”

He pointed to recent kidnappings and killings in Oyo and Kogi states as proof of Nigeria's worsening security situation.

“On the issue of the abduction of Oyo School, it should not only be restricted to Ogbomosho. In my own state of Kogi, two days ago, students writing the English language for their WAEC examinations were kidnapped. These people came in, killed the vice-principal, a six-year-old child, and a 70-year-old man, and went away with the students.”

Melaye continued, “This story is the same across almost all the states of the entire country. I think for a government that is sensitive to its people, the president ought to have declared a state of emergency in the security of his country. The Nigerian security architecture is not that terrible.”

He called the situation “gross incompetence.” He reminded everyone that the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He recalled that on May 29 at Eagle Square, Tinubu held the Quran in one hand and the Constitution of Nigeria in the other.

Melaye pointed out that Section 42(b) of the Constitution states that the security and welfare of the people are the main job of the government.

He said, “So, any leader of this country who has failed in security, failed in welfare, is a failed president. The president is wearing an oversized shoe. You cannot give what you don’t have. Nigeria is not Lagos. He is overwhelmed. He does not have the intellectual, emotional, or physical capacity and capability to lead this country.”

Melaye added, “He cannot be commander-in-chief because this country has never seen it this low. In the last three years alone, three serving generals have been abducted and killed. Abroad, only one pilot went missing, and America deployed everything to locate him.”

He concluded, “So, when generals are being killed, what is our own security? So, I’m not part of those saying the government should pay ransom. I am only saying the government should show capacity. And when you cannot do it, you should resign honourably and leave.”

As a member of the African Democratic Congress, Melaye also blamed the administration for the economic difficulties in the country, saying everyone is feeling the pain.