A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress and former presidential aspirant, Dele Momodu, has expressed regret over past criticism of former President Goodluck Jonathan while raising concerns about the worsening security situation and growing silence among public figures in Nigeria.
Momodu made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, March 5, 2026. He reflected on past national reactions to kidnapping incidents during Jonathan’s administration and compared them with the current security climate.
Speaking during the interview, Momodu said he still feels compelled to apologise to the former president in light of present realities: “I will continue to apologize to Jonathan. That man, Leah Shaibu, one lady, was unfortunate to have been kidnapped. We had people traveling all over the world campaigning for his release. Just one person.”
He noted that global attention once focused intensely on individual kidnapping cases in Nigeria, describing how international campaigns were organised for victims: “So how many people are you not going to travel around the world to campaign for? Just one person.”
Momodu also referenced the widespread international advocacy that followed the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, stating that the incident drew global support and condemnation: “The Chibok girls, it got so bad that even the Obamas, everybody was doing campaigns to release the Chibok girls.”
He contrasted those earlier campaigns with the present situation, questioning how such advocacy could keep pace with the scale of current security challenges: “Today, how many people are you going to campaign for their release? I’m not even counting the dead. Please, let’s stop playing politics.”
According to him, the security situation has deteriorated to a point where citizens and public figures alike struggle to speak openly about the problems confronting the country: “We are all guilty of something. I am telling you that the situation is so bad that we are all complicit of that culture of silence.”
Momodu added that fear has increasingly discouraged people from voicing their concerns about governance and security matters: “People are not able to talk because they are afraid. And I am included.”
The media entrepreneur further disclosed that he had halted his well-known newspaper column because of pressure from respected figures who advised him to refrain from criticising President Bola Tinubu: “I stopped writing Pendulum on the back page of this day because of President Tinubu. Because every Saturday. Anytime I wrote, one elder statesman that I respect so much would call me say, Dele, leave Tinubu alone.”See_More…