This post has already been read at least 11929 times!
The Peter Obi Media Office has described as “absurd” recent remarks by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Dele Alake, against the presidential candidate Peter Obi over the former Anambra State governor’s record in the state.
In a statement signed by Idris Zekeri Jnr, Spokesman of the Peter Obi Media Office (POMR), the media office said Alake’s comments were coming at a time Nigerians were mourning the deaths of 37 youths allegedly linked to failures within the solid minerals sector under his supervision.
The statement was issued in reaction to comments attributed to Alake while speaking in his capacity as a spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign.
According to the POMR, Alake had claimed that Obi had “nowhere to hide” regarding his alleged “poor record in Anambra State.”
However, the media office argued that the Minister should instead concentrate on addressing questions arising from the deaths of the 37 Nigerian youths and the broader challenges confronting the solid minerals sector.
“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,” the statement said.
The Peter Obi Media Office described the situation as a “tragic irony,” saying it was troubling to see senior public officials allegedly prioritising political posturing over executive accountability.
“For us in Peter Obi Media, there is a tragic irony in watching high-ranking public officials prioritise political posturing over executive accountability,” the statement said.
It argued that in a functional democracy, leadership should be guided by empathy and responsibility, particularly when a disaster results in the loss of dozens of citizens.
“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,” the statement added.
Rather than focusing on what it described as the “catastrophic failures” in the solid minerals sector, the POMR said Alake should be providing answers to fundamental questions surrounding the tragedy.
It asked: “Who authorised the operation? What safeguards were in place? Who failed? And who will be held accountable?”
According to the media office, these questions required urgent answers from the authorities, particularly given the Minister’s responsibility for the solid minerals sector.
The statement accused Alake of being more interested in political exchanges concerning Peter Obi and his record in Anambra State than in confronting the challenges within his ministry.
“A minister overseeing a sector at the centre of such a tragic episode is busy trying to create a distraction,” it said.
“Minister Dele Alake appears more eager to trade political barbs regarding Peter Obi and past state governance records.”
The POMR further stressed that the deaths should not be treated as mere statistics, arguing that the victims were young Nigerians whose lives were lost in what it described as illegal, unsafe and poorly regulated mining environments.
“The numbers are not mere statistics—they represent real human lives lost in illegal, unsafe, and poorly regulated mining environments,” the statement said.
It added that when young Nigerians die in underground mining pits while the custodian of the sector devotes attention to what it described as political distractions, it raises questions about the priorities of the administration.
The Peter Obi Media Office maintained that before federal officials offered “public lectures” on state-level administrative histories or political credentials, they should first account for their responsibilities within the sectors under their supervision.
It specifically identified the need to end unchecked illegal mining operations and curb informal and unregulated extraction activities that expose vulnerable young Nigerians to danger.
“Ending unchecked illegal operations and curbing informal and unregulated extraction that endangers vulnerable youth seeking a livelihood is the Minister’s responsibility,” the statement said.
The media office further called for a solid minerals sector anchored on safety, regulation and sustainable development, rather than what it described as an executive office “that chases political shadows while tragedy unfolds on its watch.”
The statement concluded with a broad criticism of the APC-led Federal Government, alleging that the administration had “copiously proven in all sectors that it has failed the Nigerian people in all ramifications.”
This post has already been read at least 11929 times!
