The Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, has alleged that officials working around President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa demand bribes before granting access to the President.
Naijaonpoint reports that Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, made the claim during an interview on Arise Television while reacting to the growing diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and the United States.
The lawmaker lamented that it has become almost impossible for even senior government officials and lawmakers to meet with the President without going through intermediaries who allegedly demand bribes.
Ndume said, “I don’t have a chance to see the President. The only time I can see him is when he’s going to an event.
“This is how they run the government. I’m telling you, they don’t have people there. The government is dominated by kakistocrats. If you want to see the President, they will ask you how much.”
The senator used the term “kakistocrats”, meaning government by the least qualified or most corrupt, to describe those in the corridors of power around Tinubu.
Ndume said he had made efforts to reach the President through formal channels to discuss important financial matters but was repeatedly frustrated by bureaucratic bottlenecks created by aides.
“I wrote to them that I wanted to see the President to discuss some financial issues, but they were playing games as if they want you to go to heaven,” he added.
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