Peter Obi Tells Tinubu to Stop Travelling Abroad and Focus on Nigeria’s Problems
Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu over his frequent foreign trips, saying the president should stay in Nigeria and focus on solving the country’s pressing problems.
Obi’s comments came after the presidency announced that Tinubu would be leaving Nigeria on Thursday, August 14, for a two-nation trip to Japan and Brazil, with a stopover in Dubai. The trip will include attending the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, from August 20 to 22. However, the announcement did not state when the president would return.
In a series of posts on his X account, Obi questioned why Tinubu would return to Brazil so soon after a recent visit, leaving Nigeria’s growing challenges unresolved. He described Tinubu as “virtually indifferent” and accused him of showing little sensitivity to the country’s deepening crises.
Obi argued that the president should spend more time visiting troubled states within Nigeria instead of spending nearly two weeks abroad for events where he sometimes serves only as an observer. He pointed out that other world leaders attend such events for just a few days, while Tinubu often leaves days before the main program begins.
Citing recent examples, Obi said Tinubu spent a week in St. Lucia before attending the BRICS Summit, where Nigeria participated as an observer. He stressed that Nigeria’s insecurity, economic hardship, and hunger have reached alarming levels, ranking the country among the most insecure and economically fragile nations in the world.
“What Nigeria needs right now,” Obi said, “is leadership that stays on the ground, listens to the people, and takes decisive action to improve security, stabilize the economy, and ensure food is available.” He added that while Nigerians do not expect problems to be solved overnight, they want to see 100% effort and consistent commitment from the president.
Obi urged Tinubu to limit his international trips to only what is necessary and to shorten them whenever possible. He suggested that the planned 12-day trip could have been completed in five days, given that the Japanese event does not start until August 20.
He concluded by reminding Tinubu that he is “not a tourist but the Chief Executive of a troubled nation,” and should adopt a strict travel schedule to ensure he spends most of his time addressing Nigeria’s urgent problems at home.
