Senator Sunday Karimi, Chairman of the Senate Services Committee, has urged his colleague, Senator Ali Ndume from Borno South, to focus more on addressing critical issues like insecurity rather than “playing to the gallery.”
Senator Ndume had, during an appearance on Arise TV’s ‘Prime Time’ on Monday, accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of making political appointments that disproportionately favoured the Yoruba ethnic group. He claimed that the president had been unfair in his appointments, neglecting other parts of the country.
In response, Senator Karimi expressed surprise at Ndume’s remarks, advising him to concentrate on more pressing issues such as the nation’s insecurity. In a statement released on Tuesday in Lokoja, Karimi accused Ndume of diverting attention from critical developmental challenges, including the ongoing insecurity in Nigeria, to promote sentiments.
“I am surprised that Senator Ndume, a former Chief Whip of the 10th Senate, is choosing to play to the gallery rather than address the real developmental challenges like the insecurity confronting Nigeria,” Karimi said.
The Kogi-West Senator pointed out the extensive damage caused to the country by Boko Haram insurgency, which has persisted for over a decade. Karimi highlighted that counter-terrorism efforts in recent years have cost Nigeria over 50 per cent of its earnings.
He urged Ndume to redirect his focus from government criticism to finding local solutions to the insurgency that continues to destabilize the nation. “Over 50 per cent of Nigeria’s earnings in the last few years is being spent on fighting insurgency,” he stated. “Rather than playing to the gallery and criticising the government, Senator Ndume, as a leader of his people, should go back home and liaise with his people on solving the Boko Haram problems. Insecurity has a local solution.”
Karimi also highlighted his own efforts in combating banditry, kidnapping, and violent crimes in his senatorial district. He provided an example of his proactive approach by facilitating the construction of a Military Base in Egbe Town, Yagba West Local Government, and supporting security initiatives with additional logistics.
“The country has lost a lot of its soldiers and trillions of Naira fighting insurgents in Senator Ndume’s Senatorial district in the last decades,” Karimi stated. “In fact, I lost one of the young officers, a captain in the Nigerian Army from my Senatorial District, serving in his community three weeks ago.”
He went on to express his concern for the lives lost in the fight to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity. “Lots of young Nigerians had lost their lives fighting to defend the territorial integrity of our country. Those are more serious and compelling issues threatening our collective existence,” he added.
