Senator Ali Ndume: Bold, Blunt and Unapologetic By Ozumi Abdul
On September 29, 2025, Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South once again stirred the national conversation with a characteristically bold remark. Appearing on ARISE Television’s “Prime Time”, he called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to dissolve the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) if the union continued to neglect national interest in favour of private battles.
His comments followed PENGASSAN’s decision to embark on a nationwide strike over the dismissal of 800 workers at the privately owned Dangote Refinery. To Ndume, the union had crossed the line, holding Nigerians “by the neck” at a time when the economy was already fragile.
“This PENGASSAN is supposed to serve the interest of Nigerians, and their profession has to do with petroleum products that affect everything,” he said, faulting the union for fighting the refinery owners while ignoring broader national struggles. He pointedly asked where the union had been when subsidy was removed, fuel prices skyrocketed to N1,000, and refineries lay in ruins.
The senator’s position drew mixed reactions—applause from those wary of unions wielding unchecked power, and sharp rebuke from labour activists who saw his comments as dismissive of workers’ rights. Still, the episode reinforced Ndume’s profile as a fearless legislator, unafraid of unpopular stances.
Since first entering the Senate in 2011, Ndume has built a reputation as one of its most consistent and outspoken voices. His interventions cut across security, governance, and economic policy. He has never shied away from blunt assessments, particularly on the worsening insecurity in his native North-East.
For years, he has demanded better welfare for soldiers at the frontline and more humane policies for displaced persons uprooted by Boko Haram. In 2021, he condemned what he described as government’s “insufficient attention” to the plight of Internally Displaced Persons in Borno.
True to his word, he mobilised relief supplies and lobbied for federal interventions for his constituents. At the Senate, he has served on crucial committees including Appropriation, Army, and Establishment. As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, he pressed relentlessly for better funding, warning that no war against terrorism could be won on a shoestring budget.
Read Also:
His legislative imprint includes sponsorship of bills that shaped the North-East Development Commission, now pivotal in rehabilitating communities devastated by insurgency. He has also championed education reform, public procurement accountability, and stronger anti-terrorism frameworks.
Ndume’s career, however, has not been free of controversy. In 2011, he was accused of ties to Boko Haram—allegations he denied, explaining that his contacts with sect members were attempts to understand and help resolve the crisis.
After years of legal battles, he was acquitted. The storm dented his image, but his resilience carried him through, solidifying his reputation as a survivor.
Another episode came in January 2017, when he was removed as Senate Leader following political clashes within the chamber. Yet he remained visible, vocal, and influential. Over time, he has disagreed openly with his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), standing firmly by his words even under pressure.
Beyond politics, Ndume has delivered tangible projects in Borno South—roads, schools, health centres—while advocating policies that address poverty and youth unemployment. He has consistently pushed for vocational training and entrepreneurship as pathways to opportunity.
Born on 20 November 1959 in Gwoza, Borno State, Ndume’s life story is rooted in discipline, education, and perseverance. From his early days at Gwoza Central Primary School and Government Secondary School Mubi, to earning advanced degrees at the University of Toledo, Ohio, he charted a path defined by hard work.
He returned to Nigeria as a lecturer at Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri, where he nurtured young minds before entering politics in 2003. Winning election to the House of Representatives for Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza, he quickly became a rising star.
His journey to the Senate in 2011, first with the PDP and later the APC, has been marked by re-election after re-election, proof of his enduring grassroots bond. To his supporters, Ndume is the blunt but courageous voice of Borno—a man who mirrors the resilience of a region scarred by insurgency yet unbroken.
To his critics, he can be too uncompromising, sometimes abrasive. But whether admired or opposed, his presence in Nigeria’s political arena is undeniable.
And as national debates intensify over labour strikes, insecurity, and development, one certainty remains: Ali Ndume will be there, speaking his truth without fear, no matter whose comfort it unsettles.
Ozumi Abdul is a Staff Writer at PRNigeria Centre Kano
