The Chief Whip of the 10th Senate, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has asserted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not aware of events happening outside the Presidential Villa, in Abuja.
According to him, the Nigerian leader has been trapped and confined by specific groups.
Lawmaker representing Borno South senatorial district made this remark during a press conference on Wednesday at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
Ndume expressed his frustration that President Tinubu’s administration has not taken significant steps to address the ongoing security issues plaguing the nation.
He stated that the public’s dissatisfaction stems from the government’s inability to effectively address the issues of poverty, insecurity, and hunger, among others, which have severely impacted the nation.
Ndume said: “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 public affairs managers, except his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, who writes press statements. Nigerians are getting 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 an unavailability of food. The food crisis is the worst crisis that any nation can encounter. If we add that to the security crisis, it will be severe.
“The President should wake up; it seems he isn’t in the picture of what is happening because he has been caged off. He has been fenced off by plutocrats. He should open his doors and meet those who will tell him the truth.
“Unfortunately, the people who will tell him the truth won’t struggle to meet him. I am very worried not only for the President himself but myself.”
Regarding the crisis involving farmers and herders, Ndume mentioned that those involved have not shown genuine commitment to tackling the problem, pointing out that efforts have consistently been influenced by ethnic feelings.
During a conversation with BBC Hausa on Wednesday, Ndume highlighted the federal government’s struggle to deal with these problems as a significant obstacle, further stating that certain ministers find it difficult to have discussions with President Tinubu about the issue.
He had said: “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.”