Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume has called on President Bola Tinubu to 'wake up' and address the security and food crisis bedevilling the country.
Ndume said President Tinubu is unaware of happenings outside the Villa because some plutocrats have 'caged' and 'fenced him off.'
The lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District said this while addressing journalists on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
He said Nigerians are angry with Tinubu over his 'failure' to address poverty, insecurity, hunger, and other issues that have brought the country to its knees.
He also alleged that the people the president surrounds himself with have stopped him from talking to Nigerians despite the country's situation.
Ndume stressed that the situation of the country would become severe if the federal government failed to address the lingering food crisis.
The lawmaker 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 that 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. 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.
Protest looms over food crisis - Lawan
Another lawmaker and former President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, has warned that Nigeria's lingering food crisis could soon trigger mass protests.
Lawan said the cost of basic food items has increased by more than 300% due to the removal of the petrol subsidy.
According to him, the protests will occur if the legislative, executive, and judicial branches do not collaborate to lower food prices and electricity tariffs.
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