As Nigerians bicker over President Donald Trump’s designation of the nation as Country of Particular Concern, (CPC), former Minister of Sports and Youth Development during late President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Solomon Dalung, a lawyer, has warned politicians against hypocrisy, stating that leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), including late President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu invited America to save Christians in the buildup to the 2015 elections.
Dalung, who dropped a bombshell in an interview with Sunday Telegraph, said they (including himself) wrote a letter to the United States to come, alleging genocide against Christians, in a move designed to prevent President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election.
Dalung said: “I think we are a dishonest people. The President of Nigeria should have come out and told Nigerians that, ‘Look, when I was looking for this office, I did everything, including inviting America to come and protect Christians. Myself and my colleagues wrote and invited America.’
If he had mentioned this to Nigerians, he would have been an honest man because when he was a non-state actor and desperate for power, he mobilised people. Those same things he demonstrated then are what he is doing today.
“While he was mobilising us, (because I participated effectively in the protests), I am aware of that the opposition led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Late President Buhari against then President Goodluck Jonathan wrote to America.
We invited them, but because America is a workable society with a functional system, the letter was written to the American government.” He added that, “When Barrack Obama left and Trump came, Trump approved the letter in his first tenure. Buhari went to America and lobbied.
The first thing Trump asked was, ‘Why are you killing Christians in Nigeria?’ But Buhari took time to explain and pacify the American government.” Although, he now laments his participation in inviting America, Dalung added: “If Trump is saying today that there is Christian genocide in Nigeria, it wasn’t Trump that started it.
It was Tinubu and his co-travelers, who in their search for power with the late president, wrote that letter. So, why are we talking about sovereignty now? When Tinubu wrote, he was a non-state actor. He is now a state actor, and they have answered our prayers. He is saying he cannot protect Christians.
“Jonathan was accused of not protecting Christians. Now he (Tinubu) is in power and cannot protect the same Christians and Trump is coming. Instead of us organising thanksgiving and singing “Hallelujah” and even praying in tongues ‘Holy Ghost fire’! We are hypocritically busy shouting, ‘Oh, Nigeria is a sovereign country.’
“Even former Heads of State, who kept quiet when people were being killed, are now talking about sovereignty. Have they forgotten that the Constitution says sovereignty belongs to the people?
If sovereignty belongs to the people, and the people are being killed while the government does nothing, which sovereignty are they talking about? The owners of the sovereignty are being killed, and the government is not protecting them.”
