Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu over his frequent trips abroad, accusing him of neglecting Nigeria’s deepening security and economic crises.
In a statement on Thursday, Obi criticised Tinubu’s latest 12-day itinerary to Japan and Brazil, with a stopover in Dubai, noting that the trip comes barely weeks after the President returned from Brazil. The Japan leg is for the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama from August 20 to 22, but the President’s return date has not been disclosed.
Obi described the travel schedule as “insensitive” at a time when Nigerians are facing record levels of insecurity, hunger, and economic hardship. “Our President, who has not found it worthy to visit any of our troubled states, takes joy in travelling abroad at the slightest invitation or excuse,” he said. “Often, he leaves days before an event, abandoning pressing issues at home.”
He recalled that during Tinubu’s last international outing, the President spent a week on a state visit to St Lucia before attending the BRICS Summit—where Nigeria participated only as an observer. “The leaders of actual member countries arrived just a day or two before the meeting, unlike our President,” Obi said.
The former Anambra governor insisted that Nigeria’s challenges require the President’s full and constant presence, urging that any necessary foreign engagement be kept brief. “If the Japan trip is necessary, it should not exceed five days,” he said.
Obi called on Tinubu to tour Nigeria’s states with the same enthusiasm he shows for foreign engagements, to “see, listen and learn” about citizens’ suffering. “Nigerians don’t expect miracles overnight,” he noted, “but they want to see total dedication and tireless commitment.”
“Mr. President must realise he is not a tourist but the Chief Executive of a troubled nation. He must work with the urgency and discipline the moment demands,” Obi added.
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