The Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, has lamented that Nigeria is currently being led by “kakistocrats – a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens and kleptocrats – government by people who use their power to steal their country’s resources.“
Ndume added that though President Bola Tinubu himself may have good intentions, those around him do not mean well.
He made the observation while appearing on Arise TV on Thursday.
He said: “The government is also populated by kleptocrats, but unfortunately that is not what the president is up to; he really meant renewed hope, but you can only do that when you have people around you that are on the same type of thinking.”
Ndume expressed concerns that the citizens are faced with the challenges of hunger, poverty and rising inflation, with the country facing a dangerous trend.
Speaking about the recent government policies, such as the cybercrime levy, which faced public opposition, the lawmaker said, “When the president realised that he had not heard about it, he quickly suspended it.”
He highlighted the significant challenge of hunger and food scarcity, mentioning that inflation has risen to 40%.
“In some places, even with your money, you won’t find the food items you want to buy, which is very dangerous.”
He noted that the growing challenges of food crises and food insecurity, which have made the United Nations (UN), and World Food Programme rank Nigeria as a hotspot, is a thing of concern.
“For people like me, I have to be scared because I’m 64 years old with 10 children, 20 grandchildren, and I don’t have a passport or visa to anywhere,” he said.
Ndume also criticised the limited access to the president, stating that even some ministers and ranking lawmakers have no access to Tinubu. He contrasted this with former President Obasanjo’s administration, where any senator could see the president within 24 hours.
“I’m the chief whip, and if the chief whip can’t have access to the president, the new senators won’t have access either,” he said.
He expressed concern that the president is “caged in” whereas, “The president needs people who will realise his dream and tell him when something is wrong.”
The Senate Chief Whip, who expressed support for the fuel subsidy removal of the Tinubu government, however expressed concerns about its implementation. He recounted sending messages to people in the presidential villa about public anger, only to receive responses blaming the opposition.
“When people in power start responding like that, then I’m worried for the president and myself; there’s a problem out there,” he added.