The senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has urged President Bola Tinubu to communicate more directly with Nigerians, saying citizens want to hear from their leader instead of relying on presidential spokespersons for important national messages.
Ndume made the appeal on Thursday after a meeting with the President at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting, the former Senate Leader said he advised Tinubu to engage Nigerians more often, especially at a time when the country is facing security and economic challenges.
According to him, the President welcomed the advice and promised to give it consideration.
“I told Mr President that he should reach out more. I also advised him, and he promised to look into it and speak directly to Nigerians.
“People expect their leader to tell them what is going on, instead of allowing others to speak on his behalf.
“It has been a while since he has spoken directly to Nigerians, and that is very important,” Ndume said.
The senator explained that the meeting was held at his request and covered major national issues, including insecurity, economic hardship and the challenges facing communities in the North-East.
He described the discussion as productive and said both he and the President agreed on the need for regular consultations to exchange ideas on national issues.
According to Ndume, Tinubu suggested that future meetings should be held in a more relaxed environment rather than inside the office, where official activities often interrupt discussions.
“The President even insisted that we should do this regularly, not necessarily in the office where people are always rushing in and out, but in a more relaxed setting, perhaps at his residence, so we can think together about how to solve some of these problems.
“A country like Nigeria will have problems, and the President alone cannot solve them all. He needs people who can share ideas with him because, as the saying goes, two heads are better than one,” the senator said.
Ndume disclosed that he and the President had held similar consultations in the past, but the meetings stopped for some time before the latest engagement.
“We used to have this interaction before, but somehow it stopped. Now the interaction has resumed,” he said, adding that Tinubu was also eager for the discussions to continue.
On the country’s security situation, Ndume described insecurity as Nigeria’s biggest challenge.
He said the problem, which was once largely limited to the North-East, has spread to other parts of the country and now requires a united national response.
“Insecurity is our greatest concern in the country right now. It used to be concentrated in the North-East, but it has now spread to the South, North-Central, North-West and even the South-West.
“We also have residual insecurity involving IPOB in the South-East. Although the South-East situation has improved and is not as bad as before, it is still an area that needs attention,” he said.
The senator noted that he had to wait for his scheduled 3 p.m. appointment because the President was holding a security meeting with the service chiefs.
According to him, the development showed that Tinubu was giving close attention to the country’s security challenges.
He also expressed optimism over recent military operations against terrorists and bandits, saying security forces were making progress.
“There has been a lot of pressure recently on bandits in the North-West, the North-East and elsewhere. Some of their leaders have been taken out, and some of their commanders surrendered yesterday.
“If this momentum is sustained, we are confident that the problem will eventually end. These people are not fighters who can stand up to the military, even in large numbers.
“What has been lacking is commitment, but you can see that the President has already declared a state of emergency on security,” Ndume said.
Although there has been no formal constitutional declaration of a state of emergency on security, the senator was referring to the administration’s intensified efforts and renewed focus on tackling insecurity across the country.
Nigeria has continued to battle several security threats, including Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency in the North-East, armed banditry in the North-West, farmer-herder clashes in the North-Central, separatist violence linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in parts of the South-East, and kidnapping for ransom across several regions.
The Tinubu administration has repeatedly pledged to strengthen security operations through improved intelligence gathering, increased funding for security agencies and closer collaboration with state governments.
On the economy, Ndume acknowledged that many Nigerians were struggling with rising fuel prices, high transportation costs and increasing food prices.
He, however, expressed confidence that the challenges could be addressed through better coordination among government institutions.
“We have the capacity to handle these problems. What is needed is coordination. Once that is done and Nigerians begin to see the government’s efforts, they will appreciate it,” he said.
The senator also threw his weight behind the decision of the 19 northern governors to establish a regional security trust fund aimed at supporting security operations in the region.
He said the initiative should complement, rather than replace, the efforts of the Federal Government and security agencies.
“You should not leave the responsibility only to the Federal Government.
“Now that they have agreed to contribute funds, those institutions should collaborate with the existing security framework.
“The more, the merrier. If you have more people on the ground pressing the fight, that is a good thing,” he stated.
Ndume also supported the recent directive by the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, calling for decisive action against terrorists and armed bandits during military operations.
“You don’t spare a bandit or a terrorist. Once you identify a terrorist, you should deal with him, because if you don’t kill him, he will kill you. So there is nothing to argue about there,” he said.
The meeting between Ndume and Tinubu comes at a time of growing public concern over insecurity and economic hardship, with many Nigerians calling for stronger government action and clearer communication from political leaders.