In a startling revelation, Solomon Dalung, former Minister of Youth and Sports during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, has admitted that the government deceived Nigerians throughout its eight-year tenure.

Dalung made the confession during an interview on the Mic On Podcast with popular television anchor Seun Okinbaloye.

Reflecting on his time in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during Buhari’s first term (2015-2019), Dalung stated, “I am completely disappointed because what we told Nigerians was not what happened. We lied; we deceived Nigerians. Even though we used ‘people deceive people’ to criticize the PDP during our campaigns, we ended up being a replica of what we accused them of.”

The former minister revealed that insecurity significantly worsened under Buhari’s administration, expanding beyond the North-East to other regions. Dalung recalled confronting Buhari about the alarming situation:

“When we came in, it was just the North-East that had security issues. By 2020, it was not even possible to travel from Abuja to Kaduna. I told the president, ‘If you don’t believe me, roll out a brigade of guards now, and I’ll join you. We’ll drive from Abuja to Daura. If bandits don’t attack us, I’ll go and die in exile.’”

According to Dalung, Buhari was often unaware of major developments, including a significant clash between the DSS and EFCC in Abuja’s Asokoro District, which left the community in turmoil for three days.

“It was me, during a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, who informed him about the incident. I expected it to be on the agenda, but it wasn’t. I had to introduce it through AOB (Any Other Business), and the president was completely confused listening to what I was saying,” he disclosed.

Dalung further revealed that Buhari was visibly angry after learning about the clash and left the meeting without offering a closing prayer, a rare occurrence.

The confession underscores mounting concerns over the Buhari administration’s handling of critical national issues, including insecurity, economic hardship, and administrative lapses.