BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – The Senator representing Borno South senatorial district and Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has expressed concern over the rising cost of living and food scarcity in the country.
This is as he alleged that the situation has been made worse because President Bola Tinubu now remains inaccessible to some of his cabinet members to discuss the challenges.
Speaking with BBC Hausa, Senator Ndume described as a major challenge the Federal Government’s inability to address these issues, alleging that some ministers have been unable to meet with the President on the best way forward.
Senator Ndume, who made the comments shortly after he and his colleague, Senator Sunday Steve Karimi, sponsored a motion to address the nation’s food crisis, 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.”
In the motion, both lawmakers said the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that 82 million Nigerians are likely to face food insecurity in the next five years.
According to Senator Ndume, the motion aims to draw the government’s attention to the severity of the food crisis in the country, even as he warned that the situation could lead to famine and starvation, especially among children, if the government does not take urgent action to address the crisis.
He said; “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”.
While citing the example of Katsina State, where children are already suffering from malnutrition due to food scarcity, Senator Ndume drew attention to the situation in Niger Republic and South Sudan, where children are now dying due to hunger.
The Chief Whip further said; “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.
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, the lawmaker said it is regrettable that the government has not taken concrete steps to address the issue, despite its promise to the people.
He said; “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”.
