Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has sharply criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s planned two-nation trip to Japan and Brazil, describing it as a display of “insensitivity” while the country faces severe economic and security crises.
In a statement posted on his official X handle on Thursday, Obi condemned the President’s travel schedule, questioning its necessity and timing amid what he called Nigeria’s “deplorable state in all ramifications”.
“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,” Obi wrote. “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?”
President Tinubu is scheduled to depart Abuja on Thursday, August 14, with a stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before proceeding to Yokohama, Japan, for the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) from August 20 to 22. His itinerary also includes a two-day state visit to Brasilia, Brazil, from August 24 to 25. The statement noted that the official schedule does not specify his return date.
Obi accused Tinubu of prioritizing frequent foreign trips over engaging directly with Nigeria’s pressing domestic challenges, citing insecurity, economic hardship, and food scarcity. He pointed to what he described as unnecessary prolonged absences from the country.
“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,” Obi said. “If necessary, this planned trip should have been at most a five-day trip, as the event in Japan begins on the 20th.”
The former governor urged Tinubu to dedicate more time to touring troubled states, listening to citizens, and taking urgent steps to address national crises, rather than attending overseas conferences “that contribute little or no tangible value” to Nigeria’s current woes.
“Nigeria today demands competent leadership with capacity and compassion to start dealing with the problems besetting it with the presence and sacrifice required,” Obi stressed. “Most importantly, our President must know that he’s not a tourist, but the Chief Executive of a troubled nation.”
Obi’s remarks come as public debate grows over the value and timing of President Tinubu’s international engagements, with critics arguing that the country’s fragile security and economic situation requires constant on-the-ground leadership.
Credit: @PeterObi via X.
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