NIGERIA: Obi Criticises Tinubu’s Frequent Foreign Trips, Says Presidency Demands Empathy, Sacrifice

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

Former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s frequent foreign travels, describing them as insensitive at a time when Nigerians are grappling with severe socio-economic and security challenges.

In a statement released on Friday titled “When Home is not Conducive to the President,” Obi said it was troubling that the President chose to embark on yet another trip to France, barely six days after returning from a 15-day foreign engagement that was originally scheduled for five days.

He noted that this marked about Tinubu’s tenth trip to France in just two years of his administration.

Obi accused the President of “running away from Nigeria at every slight opportunity,” stressing that so much of his tenure has already been spent outside the country.

He pointed to the worsening conditions in Nigeria, citing a report that 79 percent of citizens, over 180 million people, currently face food insecurity.

He also referenced international rankings which recently rated Nigeria as the worst country to give birth, the most dangerous place to live, and the nation with the lowest life expectancy.

The former Anambra State Governor further lamented that President Tinubu did not visit states affected by recent tragedies, including Katsina where over 50 people were killed in mosque and village attacks, and Niger State where at least 60 women and children died in a boat mishap just a day before the President’s latest trip.

“What would it have taken the President to make a less than 30-minute trip to Niger State from Abuja to condole with grieving families before jetting out again? Where is the compassion for Nigerian lives, Mr. President? How many more need to die before you preside over the country?” Obi queried.

He argued that leadership demands sacrifice, empathy, and a commitment to tackling Nigeria’s challenges such as insecurity, poverty, poor healthcare, and weak education systems.

“No holiday is more important than the Nigerian lives you swore to protect,” Obi stressed, adding that Nigerians deserve a leader “with all hands on deck” to confront the nation’s pressing problems.

Concluding, he reiterated his belief that “a New Nigeria is Possible.”