Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has said that one of the major challenges facing President Bola Tinubu’s administration was the inability of many of those around the seat of power to openly tell him when his policies or decisions were not working.
Ndume made the remark during an appearance on Trust TV’s ‘Daily Politics’ programme on Thursday, where he spoke about his relationship with the president, his efforts to meet with him, and his concerns about governance, security and citizens’ welfare.
Responding to a question on whether he would repeat his criticisms directly to President Tinubu if given the opportunity, the lawmaker said the president was already aware of his views.
“Yeah, he knows. The President knows me to some extent. I give it to him, he has so much to do,” Ndume said.
The lawmaker disclosed that he had met President Tinubu officially only on a few occasions, including a meeting involving health sector funding issues.
According to him, he had also written two letters seeking an audience with the President to discuss pressing national issues.
“I wrote two letters and I marshalled my points that I wanted to discuss with him about what can be done, especially about security and welfare of citizens. Those are the main purpose of government,” he said.
Ndume suggested that access to the president may be influenced by some individuals within the presidency.
Asked whether his inability to see the president was because he had not tried hard enough or because some people did not want him to have access, he replied in the affirmative: “Yeah, both.”
The Borno South lawmaker recounted how a previous meeting with Tinubu was facilitated by one of the president’s aides after he granted an interview praising the president.
“He was telling Mr President that Ndume is speaking today on Channels, talking positively about you. He said, ‘Why don’t you call him?’ They called me and he said, ‘Look, Ali, come. I want to see you tonight.’
“I went. We had a lengthy discussion. I left and he said, ‘Come time to time.’ I said, ‘Okay, I will not come time to time. If you want me, you are the President, if you say come on so-so date, you are the President. If I don’t come, you can even send the IG to come and arrest me and bring me here.’ That was how we joked,” he said.
Despite describing himself as a loyal member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ndume maintained that the president’s advisers and associates were part of the administration’s problem.
“I believe that his problem, I said it before, is the people around him,” he stated.
When asked if he was referring to a cabal around the president, Ndume rejected the description.
“No, not cabal, so to say. I don’t want to give them that,” he said.
He, however, questioned the extent of the president’s control over his inner circle.
Asked whether Tinubu remained firmly in charge of his government, Ndume replied: “Yeah, he can be in charge. ‘He can be in charge’ is different from ‘he is in charge’.
“All of them, majority of them, 95 per cent of them are his dependants. Even before he became the President, he was taking care of them.”
According to him, this relationship makes it difficult for aides to offer honest advice or challenge decisions when necessary.
