Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, (Borno South, APC) has expressed concern over the rising cost of living and food scarcity amongst Nigerians as hunger has continue to bite hard. While having an interview with BBC Hausa, Ndume said the federal government’s inability to address these issues has become thing of a great concern to them as people representative, adding that some ministers are being shut out from having an audience with President Bola Tinubu to discuss the matter.
The outspoken Senator said: “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.”
Ndume was speaking on the heel of when 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 which is dangerous to the country’s corporate existence.
The Borno Senator said the aim of the motion they sponsored was to draw the government’s attention to the severity of the food crisis affecting many Nigerians across the length and breadth of the country.
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 cost 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 as bandit has continued to deny farmers access into their farmlands.
He noted a similar situation in our neighbouring Niger and South Sudan Republic, where children are dying due to hunger and starvation.
“We have seen how it happened in 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.
The lawmaker call on the government to address the food crisis head-on, even if it mean meeting with experts and other stakeholders to fine-tune way forward while expressing disappointment that the government had not taken any concrete steps to address the issue, despite series of promises.
“What we want the government to do is to 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 concluded.