From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
Borno South Senator Ali Ndume has praised President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a national emergency on food security, describing it as a bold step towards addressing hunger and inflation across the country.
The senator has called for the creation of a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to monitor and enforce policy implementation across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
President Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, made the announcement on Monday while opening the 6th African Regional Conference on Irrigation and Drainage in Abuja.
He emphasised the need to expand irrigation infrastructure and promote participatory water resource management, highlighting Nigeria’s 3.1 million hectares of irrigable land located around the Niger and Benue river basins.
Ndume, in a statement issued Tuesday, welcomed the move, saying the prioritisation of food production was timely and critical.
“Giving the needed impetus to food production would go a long way in bringing down the prices of farm produce in the market,” the lawmaker said.
He further urged the Tinubu administration to ensure that policy directives are not only announced but properly implemented, hence his call for the establishment of a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to him, the proposed department, which should operate under the SGF’s office, would serve as a watchdog to ensure that MDAs comply strictly with budgetary provisions and government policy goals.
“Such a department will ensure that Ministries, Departments and Agencies comply with budget implementations to the letter and promote positive government policies,” Ndume noted.
The senator also praised Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, for taking the lead in tackling food insecurity at the state level by declaring a state of emergency and providing critical support to farmers.
“Governor Zulum has shown leadership by supplying thousands of tractors, irrigation equipment, and fertiliser to farmers at subsidised rates. Other state governors should emulate this proactive approach,” he said.
Ndume urged the president to extend the emergency declarations to other critical areas such as the economy and national security.
“The Federal Government must pay attention to the rate of inflation and bring it down. It must also ensure the stability of the naira against the greenback (dollar) since we are an import-dependent country,” he stated.
He also encouraged the administration to take full advantage of Nigeria’s membership in BRICS to reduce reliance on the US dollar.
“We can trade with the Chinese yuan rather than this concentration and undue relevance given to the dollar,” Ndume suggested.