Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as “insensitivity” to Nigeria’s worsening situation.
Obi, in a statement on his X handle on Wednesday, faulted the president’s decision to embark on another foreign trip while urgent domestic issues remain unresolved.
He noted that the president had only recently returned from Brazil, yet is set to travel again to Japan and Brazil on a 12-day itinerary, beginning August 14, 2025.
According to Obi, the trip will include a stopover in Dubai before attending the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, from August 20 to 22.
The schedule, he pointed out, gives no clear indication of when the president will return to Nigeria.
Obi argued that the nation is “bleeding” under the weight of insecurity, economic hardship, and hunger, and that these realities demand the president’s full attention within the country rather than frequent overseas engagements.
Obi calls for more domestic engagement over extended travels
The former Anambra governor said it was troubling that the president had not visited the Nigeria’s most troubled states, yet frequently travels abroad “at the slightest invitation or excuse,” often leaving days before events begin.
He cited the president’s recent state visit to St. Lucia before attending the BRICS Summit—where Nigeria was present only as an observer—as an example of unnecessary prolonged travel.
According to Obi, such absences do little to address Nigeria’s challenges and should, where necessary, be shortened significantly.
He stressed that any trip abroad must be targeted, brief, and results-oriented, instead of being extended at the expense of pressing domestic concerns.
He said what Nigeria needs now is “security of lives and properties, economic stability, and ensuring that our people have food on their table.”
Urges president to tour troubled states
Obi maintained that the president should redirect his focus to visiting states within Nigeria, listening to citizens, and taking decisive action to address their plight.
He argued that Nigerians do not expect instant solutions but want to see total commitment and visible effort from their leader.
He further stressed that the role of the president is not that of a tourist, but of the chief executive of a troubled nation who must have “consciousness, strict work schedules, and a disciplined travel plan” to demonstrate seriousness in tackling the country’s crises.
Obi stressed that leadership requires presence, sacrifice, and compassion, all of which, he said, Nigerians expect from President Tinubu in these trying times.
