“Speak to Nigerians Yourself” — Ndume Urges Tinubu to Address Nation Directly on Economy, Insecurity

Former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has urged President Bola Tinubu to address Nigerians personally on pressing national issues, rather than relying on aides and presidential spokespersons.

Ndume made the appeal on Friday while speaking with journalists after a closed-door meeting with the President, stressing that Nigerians deserve to hear directly from their leader, especially on the country’s economic challenges and worsening security situation.

“I advised him, and he promised to look into it, to speak directly to Nigerians. Nigerians would expect that their leader will tell them what is going on, instead of other people speaking on behalf of Mr. President,” the Borno South senator said.

Speaking on insecurity, Ndume expressed optimism that ongoing military operations against bandits and other criminal groups could yield lasting results if sustained.

He noted that security forces have intensified pressure on criminal elements across the North-West, North-East and other troubled regions, leading to the elimination of some notorious leaders and the surrender of several commanders.

“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 on Thursday. If this tempo is maintained, we are confident this challenge will eventually come to an end,” he said.

The senator also commended President Tinubu’s renewed focus on security, revealing that his scheduled meeting with the President was delayed because Tinubu was in a high-level security meeting with the nation’s service chiefs.

“My appointment was for three o’clock. I don’t know what came up, but they had a security meeting. As you can see, the service chiefs came in. That shows the President is giving the issue the attention it deserves,” Ndume stated.

He maintained that sustained military offensives, improved coordination among security agencies and continued pressure on criminal networks remain key to restoring peace and stability across affected communities.