The Presidency has dismissed allegations by the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Ali Ndume, that President Bola Tinubu is disconnected from the realities facing Nigerians. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, in a response yesterday on his verified X handle, said the President is fully aware and well-informed about the challenges facing the nation.
   
Ajayi, who emphasised that President Tinubu receives daily briefings and engages with various segments of society, ensuring he is abreast of the people’s struggles, noted that such a leader could not be said to be shielded away from current realities.
   
He, however, noted that the President’s dedication to addressing these challenges is unwavering, despite the economy still facing headwinds. He further added that even the economy that is still managing previous hits to its core is already showing signs of rejuvenation.
   
“Senator Ndume has a horrible reputation for being a loose cannon and careless talker. His capacity for introspection is too low. People like him only remember the poor and the fact that ‘Nigerians are suffering’ when their agenda and indulgences can’t be met.

“Senator Ndume does not remember the poor and their children when it is time to fix his children into CBN, NNPC and other choice MDAs and state-owned enterprises. He made unfounded allegations against the President that he is cut off from the reality of Nigerians. This President is well aware and fully abreast of the current material conditions of Nigerians, and he is working very hard to deal with the challenges,” Ajayi said.
   
Also, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and All Progressives Congress (APC) leader in Oyo State, Niyi Akintola, noted that President Tinubu has so much on his table to attend to and it will be difficult for all 230 million Nigerians to have access to him. He told The Guardian there was no way the President could attend to everyone that wanted to see him. 

Akintola said: “I wouldn’t know if the President has been caged but certainly the President cannot be the same Tinubu we used to know. There are a lot of things for him to manage. I pity him for how he is able to cope. He has so much on his table. The truth of the matter is that the President is overseeing the welfare of over 236 million people. You don’t expect the president to be easily accessible. There is no way he can attend to all.”