He questioned how a president who only recently returned from Brazil could be heading there again while pressing challenges at home remain unresolved.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu, accusing him of prioritising international conferences over addressing Nigeria’s worsening security, economic, and humanitarian crises.
Obi, in a statement on Thursday, said Nigeria is now ranked among the most insecure nations, the most fragile economies, and the hungriest countries in the world — yet the President continues to embark on extended foreign trips instead of visiting crisis-hit states.
He questioned how a president who only recently returned from Brazil could be heading there again while pressing challenges at home remain unresolved.
Obi lamented that Tinubu’s latest itinerary shows he will depart Abuja today (Thursday), August 14, for a 12-day, two-nation trip to Japan and Brazil, with a stopover in Dubai.
The President is expected to attend the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama from August 20 to 22. However, Obi pointed out that the trip length is excessive since the event begins six days after Tinubu’s departure.
Obi criticised what he described as the President’s “joy in travelling abroad at the slightest invitation,” citing previous examples such as a week-long state visit to St. Lucia before attending the BRICS Summit, where Nigeria participated only as an observer.
He stressed that what Nigeria needs now is security, economic stability, and measures to ensure food security.
"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,” he said.
He said, "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," he said.
According to the former governor, "Nigeria’s insecurity situation, economic hardship, and human suffering have reached their peak”.
He said, “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."
While appealing to the President to visit states where security has worsened, Obi said, "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," Obi added.