By Obinna Uballa
Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of being dominated by “kleptocrats and kakistrocrats” who, he alleged, frustrate access to the President and hinder effective governance, including Nigeria’s handling of its ongoing diplomatic row with the United States.
Ndume, speaking on Arise News on Tuesday night, criticised what he described as a slow and poorly coordinated response to recent threats of invasion by United States President Donald Trump, which sparked diplomatic concerns between both countries.
He said the federal government waited too long to activate diplomatic channels and had failed to appoint ambassadors in key countries, including to the United Nations, more than two years into the administration.
“If you allow a small problem like this to blow up, it can do irreparable damage,” Ndume said. “Mr President can reach Washington with a phone call. We have experienced diplomats like Sulu Gambari, Bolaji Akinyemi, Emeka Anyaoku, and Amina Mohammed. But the government has not utilised them.”
The senator argued that Nigeria’s diplomatic machinery had been weakened by absence of substantive ambassadors and lack of coordinated foreign policy engagement.
“Do you know that we don’t have ambassadors anywhere? We don’t even have a representative at the United Nations,” he said.
Ndume also claimed that those around the President act as political gatekeepers who hinder direct communication.
“I don’t have the chance to see the President. The only time you can see him is if you run to where he is at an event. And even then, maybe he will just greet you,” he said.
He alleged that senior officials “ask for money before granting access” to see the President.
“This government is dominated by kleptocrats. I want to repeat that. If you want to see the President, they will ask you, ‘How much?’” Ndume claimed. “I wrote to request a meeting on national issues, and they were playing games as if one is asking to enter heaven.”
The senator warned that failure to respond promptly to diplomatic challenges could harm Nigeria’s standing abroad.
He argued that the National Assembly and respected former diplomats should have been mobilised immediately to ease tensions and engage U.S. officials.
“Why did it take two years before officials started reaching out to the U.S. government? This is not how a serious country runs its foreign relations,” he said.
Ndume, a senior figure in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has recently been outspoken about internal governance challenges and power blocs within the presidency.
