Senator Sunday Karimi, the Chairman of the Senate Services Committee, has responded to accusations made by Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, regarding President Bola Tinubu’s appointments.
Ndume had, during a recent appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time, claimed that Tinubu’s appointments were biased, favoring his Yoruba ethnic group and being unfair to other regions.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, April 8, in Lokoja, Senator Karimi expressed surprise at Ndume’s claims. He urged his counterpart to focus more on pressing national issues, particularly insecurity, rather than “playing to the gallery” with such criticisms.
Karimi, who represents Kogi-West in the Senate, pointed out that Nigeria had been battling insurgency for over a decade, particularly the Boko Haram insurgency, which he noted had cost the country more than 50% of its earnings in recent years due to counter-terrorism spending.
Karimi criticized Ndume for diverting attention from critical issues like insecurity, which he said had direct impacts on the country’s survival. He advised Ndume to focus on finding local solutions to the insurgency problems, instead of using his position to stir sentiments.
“Over 50% of Nigeria’s earnings in the last few years is being spent on fighting insurgency. Rather than playing to the gallery and criticizing the government, Senator Ndume, as a leader of his people, should go back home and liaise with his people on solving Boko Haram problems,” Karimi said.
Senator Karimi also highlighted his personal efforts to address security challenges in his own region, mentioning his facilitation of a Military Base in Egbe Town, Yagba West Local Government, and his provision of logistics to support security initiatives in Kogi-West. He underscored the importance of proactive solutions in tackling security issues.
Reflecting on the broader impacts of insurgency, Karimi noted, “The country has lost a lot of soldiers and trillions of Naira fighting insurgents in Senator Ndume’s Senatorial district in the last decades. 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.”
Karimi concluded by emphasizing that these issues of insecurity, which threaten the nation’s stability, were far more pressing than political critiques, urging all leaders to prioritize national security concerns.
