Ali Ndume
Ali Ndume, Borno South senator, Ali Ndume, has said President Bola Tinubu’s advisers are merely misleading him, noting that they are failing to tell him about the high level of hardship in Nigeria.
According to Ndume, some of President Tinubu’s advisers do not mean well for Nigerians, which explains why they have continued to offer wrong advice to him.
In a statement on Friday, Ndume said, “I personally believe President Bola Ahmed Tinubu means well for Nigeria and Nigerians. I know this because I know what he stands for. But some of his advisers who don’t mean well for the people of this country give him wrong advice,” he said.
Ndume is a member of President Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) and was suspended by the Senate leadership in July for criticising the president. According to him, the president must resist “these bad people who want to pitch the people against his administration,” noting that Tinubu must reduce the hardship in the land.
“The hardship these people are inflicting on Nigerians is becoming unbearable. I’m currently in Borno, and I know what I’m talking about. People are really suffering, hungry, frustrated and angry,” Ndume said.
“In Borno State here, many families can’t even feed anymore. The untold hardship of these frequent increases in the prices is unimaginable. Farmers can not even move their farm products anymore because of the high cost of transportation.
“Those who can still do this add the cost of transportation to the prices of food items they sell, and that’s why many people can’t feed again. People can’t travel anymore. To travel by road from Abuja to Maiduguri, for instance, is a fortune. How many of our people can afford that?” he asked.
“I know that President Tinubu means well for Nigerians, and therefore he should not stay back and allow a few bad advisers to destroy this country. That’s why I’m begging him to do something before it is too late. It is not good to test the patience of Nigerians, and that’s exactly what these bad advisers are doing.
“As soon as the President returns to Nigeria, I urge him to look into these issues and address them urgently. The purchasing power of Nigerians is too poor, and they can’t afford the things that are being pushed on them every day by enemies of the state,” he added.
In July, Ndume had criticised the president for the level of hardship in Nigeria.
According to him, “The major problem with this government is that its doors are closed, to the extent that even some ministers cannot see the President, not to mention members of the National Assembly, who do not have the opportunity to meet with him and discuss the issues affecting their constituencies.”
His comments came shortly after he and Sunday Steve Karimi sponsored a motion about tackling the food crisis in the country.
Ndume had emphasised the urgency of the situation, warning that without prompt government intervention, the country could face famine and starvation, particularly among children.
“We want to draw the government’s attention to the fact that Nigeria is not only facing a high cost of living but also food scarcity,” he said.
