*’When Young Citizens Die In Underground Pits While The Custodian Of That very Sector Devotes Energy To Political Distractions, It Sends A Troubling Message About The Administration’s True Priorities’
*The Numbers Dead Represent Real Human Lives Lost In Illegal, Unsafe, Poorly Regulated Mining Environments, The Media Office Noted
By Ademola Adegoke, Abuja
The media office of presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, has strongly criticized Solid Minerals Minister and spokesman of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Dele Alake, over the latter’s recent comment that the former Anambra State Governor had a poor record in the South-East state.
In a statement today signed by spokesman of the media office, Idris Zekeri Jnr., it ripped into the Minister, pointing to what it described as Alake’s “glaringly poor record as Minister, which caused the deaths of 37 Nigerian youths.”
Apparently stopping short of accusing him of contributing to the recent deaths of illegal miners in Minna –shocking fatalities that have sparked local and international outrage –, the Peter Obi Media Office (POMO) added that “like Nero, who fiddled while Rome burned, the Minister is talking about a man who has become a model of good governance in Nigeria.”
The statement read: “According to Alake, Obi has nowhere to hide regarding his ‘poor record in Anambra State’.
“However, Nigeria is currently in a mourning mood over Alake’s glaringly poor record as a Minister, which caused the deaths of 37 Nigerian youths, but like Nero, who fiddled while Rome burned, the Minister is talking about a man who has become a model of good governance in Nigeria.
“For us in Peter Obi Media, there is a tragic irony in watching high-ranking public officials prioritise political posturing over executive accountability.
“In a functional democracy where leadership is bound by empathy and responsibility, a disaster claiming the lives of dozens of citizens under a minister’s direct oversight would demand total focus, sober reflection, and immediate systemic reform.
“Yet, instead of fixing the catastrophic failures in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector, providing answers to these questions: Who authorised the operation? What safeguards were in place? Who failed? And who will be held accountable?, a minister overseeing a sector at the centre of such a tragic episode is busy trying to create a distraction.
“Minister Dele Alake appears more eager to trade political barbs regarding Peter Obi and past state governance records.
“The numbers are not mere statistics—they represent real human lives lost in illegal, unsafe, and poorly regulated mining environments.
“When young citizens die in underground pits while the custodian of that very sector devotes energy to political distractions, it sends a troubling message about the administration’s true priorities.
“Before offering public lectures on state-level administrative histories or political credentials, federal custodians of failed essential sectors must first account for their primary responsibilities:
“Ending unchecked illegal operations and curbing informal and unregulated extraction that endangers vulnerable youth seeking a livelihood is the Minister’s responsibility.
“Nigerian youths deserve a solid minerals sector built on safety, regulation, and sustainable development—not an executive office that chases political shadows while tragedy unfolds on its watch.
“The APC administration has copiously proven in all sectors that it has failed the Nigerian people in all ramifications.”
*PHOTO CAPTION: Alake.
