The Senate on Wednesday removed Senator Ali Ndume as the Chief Whip. The red chamber immediately replaced Ndume with Senator Tahir Monguno.
Ndume’s replacement followed a directive issued to that effect in a letter written by the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress APC, Umar Ganduje and National Secretary, Senator Bashir Ajibola.
The request was put to voice votes by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and loudly affirmed by all the APC senators.
The development may not be unconnected with the recent interview that the embattled lawmaker granted the BBC where he claimed that President Bola Tinubu has shut his doors against some members of his cabinet.
In the interview, Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, said the federal government’s inability to address the rising cost of living and food scarcity is a major challenge.
He added that that some ministers are unable to meet with the President to discuss the matter.
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“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.”
He said this after he and his colleague, Senator Sunday Steve Karimi, sponsored a motion to address the food crisis in the country.
They noted that the World Food Programme has warned that 82 million Nigerians are likely to face food insecurity in the next five years.
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The senator said the aim of the motion was to draw the government’s attention to the severity of the food crisis affecting many Nigerians.
He expressed concern that if the government does not take urgent action, the situation could lead to famine and starvation, especially 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.”
“We want the President to intervene in the issue of high costs of living and food scarcity,” he said.
He cited the example of Katsina State, where children are already suffering from malnutrition due to food scarcity.
He also mentioned the situation in the Niger Republic and South Sudan, where children are dying due to hunger.
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“We have seen how it happened in the Niger Republic and South Sudan, where children are dying due to hunger, and we are starting to see it in Nigeria, Senator Ndume,” the senator added.
While calling on the government to take immediate action to address the food crisis, including meeting with experts and other stakeholders to find a solution, he expressed disappointment that the government had not taken any concrete steps to address the issue, despite its promise to do so.
“What we want the government to do is sit with experts and other stakeholders to find a solution to the problem. We are urging the government to take action, lest they forget that Nigeria is grappling with both soaring prices and a severe food shortage.”
“We fear that a day may come when, even if someone has the financial means to purchase food, they will go to the market and find none available,” he said.