Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south, says President Bola Tinubu cannot solve Nigeria’s challenges alone and needs people who can offer ideas to address the country’s security and economic problems.
Speaking with State House correspondents in Abuja on
Thursday after meeting Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Ndume said he had
requested an audience with the president, who granted the meeting immediately.
“I actually sought the audience, and I was immediately
granted it. The president was also looking forward to meeting with me,” he
said.
“We used to have this interaction before, but somehow it
stopped. Now, the interaction has resumed.”
In 2024, Ndume said it was difficult to secure an
appointment with Tinubu because the president had been “shielded from reality”
by some of his appointees.
He said the late Muhammadu Buhari was “a more accessible
president”.
Buhari served as Nigeria’s civilian president from 2015 to
2023.
The senator added that during the administration of Olusegun
Obasanjo, “who was older than our president is now, in 24 hours, any senator
had access to him; ministers go in and out. That is politics. You talk to the
people and hear from the people.
Obasanjo was president from 1999 to 2007.
Ndume said he regularly engages with the president to offer
suggestions on tackling the country’s numerous challenges.
“Normally, when I come here, it is to offer my ideas as a
Nigerian on how to help solve some of the many and complex problems facing this
country,” he said.
“We had a very fruitful and useful discussion, and the
president even insisted that we should do this regularly, not necessarily in
the office where people are always rushing in and out, but in a more relaxed
setting, perhaps at his residence, so we can think together about how to solve
some of these problems.”
The senator said no president could single-handedly resolve
Nigeria’s problems.
“He needs people who can share ideas with him because, as
the saying goes, two heads are better than one. You have your ideas; I have
mine. When we put them together, we can come up with solutions,” he said.
Ndume said insecurity and economic hardship featured
prominently in his discussions with Tinubu.
“That is exactly what we discussed today, particularly on
insecurity, which is troubling the country, and on the economic hardship, which
is a global issue caused by certain factors. We discussed how best to address
these challenges,” he said.
The former senate chief whip said he left the meeting
satisfied that the president had listened to his concerns.
“I feel fulfilled because I have spoken my mind, and the
president is also aware that many people, myself included, are not comfortable
with the current situation,” he said.
‘TINUBU SHOULD SPEAK DIRECTLY TO NIGERIANS’
Ndume said he advised the president to engage Nigerians more
directly instead of relying on others to communicate on his behalf.
“That is what I told Mr President: he should reach out more.
I also advised him, and he promised to look into it, to speak directly to
Nigerians,” he said.
“People expect their leader to tell them what is going on,
instead of allowing others to speak on his behalf. It has been a while since he
has spoken directly to Nigerians, and that is very important.”
The lawmaker said Tinubu demonstrated his commitment to
tackling insecurity, noting that the president had just concluded a meeting
with the service chiefs before receiving him.
“Even today, I had to wait because my appointment was for 3
pm, but there was a security meeting. As you can see, the service chiefs came
in, which shows that the president is taking the matter seriously,” he said.
The senator said sustained military operations had
intensified pressure on bandits and other criminal groups.
“There has been a lot of pressure recently on bandits in the
north-west, the north-east, and elsewhere,” he said.
“Some of their leaders have been taken out, and some of
their commanders surrendered yesterday. If this momentum is sustained, we are
confident that the problem will eventually end.”
Ndume added that the government should also pay greater
attention to the welfare of Nigerians by addressing the rising cost of petrol,
food and transportation.
‘DON’T SPARE TERRORISTS’
The senator backed recent calls for tougher action against
terrorists and welcomed the decision of the 19 northern states’ governors to
establish a regional security trust fund.
“I have said this before. You don’t spare a bandit or a
terrorist. Once you identify a terrorist, you should deal with him, because if
you don’t kill him, he will kill you. So, there is nothing to argue about
there,” he said.
Ndume said the governors’ initiative would complement the
efforts of the federal government and security agencies.
“You should not leave the responsibility only to the federal
government. Now that they have agreed to contribute funds, those institutions
should collaborate with the existing security framework,” he said.
“Two heads are better than one. In our own way of saying it,
the more, the merrier. If you have more people on the ground pressing the
fight, that is a good thing.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com