Former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, has called on Nigerians to return to the streets in protest amid rising hunger, poverty, and power outages affecting parts of the country.

In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday, Dalung urged citizens to “speak the language the government understands,” stressing that they should not passively endure the hardships imposed by poor governance. 

The former minister highlighted the worsening situation in northern states, where widespread blackouts have compounded issues of food insecurity and financial hardship.

“Northern states have blackouts added to their predicaments; hunger, poverty & misery has taken citizens hostage. While @officialABAT lavishly lives big with his officials imposing taxes for their comfort while calling Nigerians to sacrifice for renewed hopelessness. Have Nigerians been abandoned by voices of conscience? Where are @Tunde_52882, @WoleSoyink58747, @femifalana_SAN, @ShehuSani, @_dinomelaye’ @YeleSowore, @AishaYesufu, @SolomonDalung, @elrufai, @Akin_Malaolu, @adeyanjudeji, @kfayemi, @ruffydfire, @abati1990, etc?.

“The country is navigating seriously into the abyss. We cannot surrender to the ignorance of a few, while watching Nigeria fall. We must return to the street and speak the languages they understand. What are we scared of death or jail?”, Dalung said

Meanwhile, Electricity has been restored in Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, and Benue states under the Jos Electricity Distribution (JED) franchise, bringing relief to residents after a 10-day blackout.

Power was restored around 7:20 p.m. on Wednesday, sparking celebrations in Jos, the capital of Plateau State.