The Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, has poured out his pain over the astronomical increase in the prices of food in Nigeria.

Ndume expressed concern in an interview with the BBC Hausa on Tuesday, lamenting that Nigerians, especially children are dying due to food scarcity in the country.

The lawmaker representing Borno State South Senatorial District under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) also called on the Federal Government to address the food crisis.

“We want to draw the government’s attention to the fact that Nigeria is not only facing a high cost of living but also food scarcity,” he said.

“We want the President to intervene in the issue of high cost of living and food scarcity because, in Katsina State, children are already suffering from malnutrition due to food scarcity.

“We have seen how it happened in Niger Republic and South Sudan, where children are dying due to hunger, and we are starting to see it in Nigeria.”

Ndume also accused President Bola Tinubu of shutting the door on some of his ministers, saying this has led to the debriefing of Nigeria’s problems.

“The major problem with this government is that its doors are closed, to the extent that even some ministers cannot see the President, not to mention members of the National Assembly, who do not have the opportunity to meet with him and discuss the issues affecting their constituencies,” Ndume said.

Meanwhile, Ndume and Senator Sunday Karimi recently sponsored a motion to put an end to the food crisis in the country.

According to the motion, the World Food Programme’s report that 82 million Nigerians stand the risk of facing food insecurity by the year 2030 is one that the government needs to address urgently.