Thursday, August 14, 2025 - Peter Obi has criticized President Tinubu over his plans to depart Nigeria for Brazil and Japan today August 14.
In a statement released via his X handle, Obi said it is
insensitive for the President to be travelling at a time when Nigeria is
grappling with worsening security and economic challenges.
Obi said the President’s frequent foreign travels showed
“indifference” to the country’s pressing problems, urging him to focus more on
visiting troubled states and directly addressing citizens’ concerns. He pointed
out that the President is not a tourist but the Chief Executive of a
troubled nation.
According to the itinerary released by the Presidency on
Wednesday, Tinubu is scheduled to depart Abuja on Thursday, August 14, for a
two-nation tour, with a stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before
proceeding to Japan.
Read Obi's statement below
''Again our
President moves as the Nation bleeds
Amid the
deplorable state of our nation in all ramifications, we have a virtually
indifferent President who has continued to display insensitivity to our
situation.
How can
anyone explain that a President who came from Brazil recently and met with the
President is returning to the same country, leaving the various degrees of
challenges at home unresolved?
The latest
itinerary of the President shows he will depart Abuja on Thursday, August 14,
for a two-nation trip to Japan and Brazil.
The
President will stop over in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before proceeding to
Japan. In Japan, President Tinubu will attend the Ninth Tokyo International
Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in the City of Yokohama from August
20 to 22. The itinerary is silent on the President's return date to his visibly
troubled nation.
The
situation we find ourselves in is deeply worrisome. Our President, who has not
found it worthy to visit any of our troubled states, takes joy in travelling to
foreign countries at the slightest invitation or excuse. Often departing
several days even before the events he’s invited to.
In his last
trip, for instance, he had a one-week State visit to St lucia before attending
the BRICS Summit, where Nigeria was merely invited as an observer, though the
role was dressed up as “partner” to the invitation, which was more significant.
The leaders of actual member countries who attended only arrived a day or two
at most for the event.
Nigeria’s
insecurity situation, economic hardship, and human suffering have reached their
peak. We are now counted among the most insecure nations, the most fragile
economies, and the hungriest countries in the world. This dire reality demands
the full attention of Mr. President, and his travels should be more within our
troubled states and communities, spending time on the ground, and taking
decisive action to alleviate the people’s suffering rather than these overseas
conferences that contribute little or no tangible value to our nation's woes.
And where the trip is necessary at all, it could be attended in just a few days
rather than indulging in prolonged, unnecessary absences from a country that
requires 24/7 attention.
What our
nation needs now is security of lives and properties, economic stability and
ensuring that our people have food on their table.
Our
President's planned trip of 12 days departing today, if necessary, should
have been at most a 5-day trip as the event he was invited to in Japan
commences on the 20th.
Nigeria
today demands competent leadership with capacity and compassion to start
dealing with the problems besetting it with the presence and sacrifice
required.
Mr.
President must, as a matter of urgency, commence tours of our states with the
same enthusiasm he shows for jetting out of the country every month. These
visits will enable him to see, listen and learn more about what Nigerians are
going through.
Though
Nigerians know that our huge problems cannot be solved overnight, they want to
see 100% effort and tireless commitment to solving them.
Most
importantly, our President must know that he's not a tourist, but the Chief
Executive of a troubled nation, so he must have consciousness, strict work
schedules and a strict travelling schedule to show that he has a troubled
country to quickly return to.
A New
Nigeria is POssible. -PO
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