Palliative Queue: Ndume Shares Video of Crowds at Tinubu’s Bourdillon Residence to Highlight Poverty in Southern Nigeria

Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has shared a viral video capturing mile-long queues of Nigerians waiting for palliatives at President Bola Tinubu’s Bourdillon residence in Lagos on Christmas Eve. The video, posted on the senator’s X account, underscores the deepening poverty crisis in the country and calls for urgent collective action.

“Queues for presidential handouts at Bourdillon on Christmas Eve highlight a sobering reality. Poverty knows no tribe, religion, politics, or region. It is a universal challenge that demands collective action and sustainable solutions,” Senator Ndume wrote.

The senator’s statement comes against the backdrop of increasing economic hardships and rising poverty rates. His remarks also follow three recent deadly stampedes during palliative distributions in Oyo, Anambra, and the Federal Capital Territory, which claimed the lives of over 60 people.

President Tinubu has continued his long-standing tradition of distributing aid to struggling Nigerians during the holiday season. However, critics, including Senator Ndume, argue that such measures fail to address the root causes of poverty. The senator further pointed out that the North’s Almajiri system, a long-standing contributor to poverty, is now mirrored in the South as harsh economic policies exacerbate hardship nationwide.

The poverty crisis in Nigeria has been well-documented. According to the World Bank’s December 2023 Nigeria Development Update, the country’s poverty rate rose from 40% in 2018 to 46%, increasing the number of Nigerians living below the poverty line from 79 million to 104 million. The report attributed this surge to sluggish economic growth and rising inflation, which have plunged an additional 24 million people into poverty.

Despite these grim statistics, President Tinubu has maintained that Nigerians need to “manage.” His remarks, made during a media chat on Tuesday, have drawn criticism, especially given reports of luxury acquisitions, including a new Airbus A330, a yacht, and a bulletproof Escalade since he assumed office on May 29, 2024.