The Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume has criticized the government’s inaction in addressing the country’s security issues, arguing that this exacerbation of food insecurity is exacerbated.
According to Ndume, President Tinubu is isolated within the Presidential Villa and is being misled by those around him, preventing him from understanding the true plight of Nigerians.
“The president is just in the Presidential Villa, being fed with lies and shielding him from selfless Nigerians who can tell him the truth,” he stated.
Ndume’s comments came in response to a Senate resolution urging the federal government to address the severe hunger crisis or risk facing the wrath of the people.
On Tuesday, Ndume co-sponsored a motion initiated by Senator Sunday Karimi, Chairman of the Committee on Senate Services.
The motion, titled “Urgent need to address food insecurity and market exploitation of consumables in Nigeria,” highlighted the critical need for government intervention in food security.
The Senate Chief Whip criticized the government’s lack of significant action in addressing the country’s security challenges, which he noted were exacerbating the food insecurity issue.
“Nothing appreciable has been done in recent times to de-escalate the security challenge in the country, which remains a permanent threat to food security,” Ndume asserted.
He further criticized the president’s isolation, claiming that Tinubu is unaware of the severity of the situation outside the villa. “Mr. President is not in the picture of what is happening outside the villa.
He has been fenced off and caged. So many of us won’t go through the backdoor to engage him,” Ndume said.
He also lamented the lack of direct communication from the president, stating,”They have stopped him from talking, and he doesn’t have any public affairs managers, except for his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, who writes press statements.”
Highlighting the urgency of the situation, Ndume warned that the government’s inaction on food scarcity was leading to increased public frustration.
“Nigerians are getting very, very angry. The government is not doing anything about the food scarcity, and it needs to do something urgently. We don’t have a food reserve,” he noted.
Ndume also expressed disappointment over the failure of stakeholders to address the ongoing herders’ crisis, which he said has compounded the food scarcity issues.
“The menace of herders has also compounded the issues around food scarcity,” he stated.