According to the report from the Nigerian Tribune, Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung criticized the government for being out of touch with the struggles of everyday Nigerians.
Dalung likened the government to a blind man, asserting that it fails to recognize the hardships faced by its citizens because government officials live in isolation and privilege.
He argued that the government’s misuse of public funds to finance the luxurious lifestyles of its officials further distances them from the realities of the people.
In his view, this disconnect renders the government incapable of acknowledging, let alone addressing, the suffering of Nigerians.
According to Solomon Dalung, “I have been suggesting what the government should do. But you know, the government is like a blind man. Anybody’s government is like a blind man. He doesn’t understand that people are watching him, except you touch him. So all the sufferings of Nigerians are not known to them [government] because they live in isolated environments. They are sitting fine with their children. They use public funds to travel anywhere they want; their children and wives travel at the expense of national revenue. So they assume that is what is happening to everybody. So if you tell them that Nigerians are suffering, they will never believe this, because it has not affected them directly.”