President Bola Tinubu is detached from harsh realities faced by many Nigerians, says Senator Ali Ndume

Senator Ali Ndume, the Senate Chief Whip, has expressed concern that President Bola Tinubu is detached from the harsh realities faced by many Nigerians, amidst the country’s struggling economy and soaring inflation.

Speaking to journalists at the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Wednesday, Ndume suggested that the president is isolated in the Presidential Villa, receiving misleading information and being shielded from interacting with genuine Nigerians who could provide him with a more accurate understanding of the situation.

Senator Ali Ndume was responding to a Senate resolution that urged the federal government to address the widespread hunger and food insecurity, warning of severe consequences if no action is taken.

The resolution came after Ndume co-sponsored a motion, alongside Senator Sunday Karimi, who chairs the Committee on Senate Services. The motion, titled “Urgent need to address food insecurity and market exploitation of consumables in Nigeria,” aimed to address the pressing issues of food availability and affordability in the country.

“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.

“Now, 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.

“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.

“There is unavailability of food. Food crisis is the worst crisis that any nation can encounter. If we add that to the security crisis, it will be severe,” Ndume said.

He expressed his dismay that concerned individuals had not been candid or truthful in tackling the issue of herder-related problems in the country, failing to address the matter with the necessary urgency and honesty.