Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s upcoming official visits to Japan and Brazil, describing the trips as insensitive to Nigerians’ suffering amid the country’s mounting challenges.
In a statement titled “Again our President moves as the Nation bleeds,” Obi expressed concern over what he termed the President’s frequent and unnecessary foreign travels while critical domestic issues remain unaddressed.
The criticism follows Wednesday’s announcement from the presidency that Tinubu would depart Abuja on Thursday, August 14, for official visits to Japan and Brazil, with a brief stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Obi questioned the timing and necessity of the trip, particularly noting that Tinubu recently returned from Brazil where he met with that country’s president. “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?” he asked.
According to the itinerary, President Tinubu will attend the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama from August 20 to 22, though the presidency has not announced his return date.
The former Anambra governor contrasted Tinubu’s enthusiasm for foreign travel with his apparent reluctance to visit troubled states within Nigeria. “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 stated.
He cited Tinubu’s previous trip as an example, noting that the President spent a week in St. Lucia before attending the BRICS Summit, where Nigeria participated only as an observer, while leaders of actual member countries arrived just one or two days before the event.
Obi argued that Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation, economic hardship, and widespread suffering demand the President’s full attention at home. “We are now counted among the most insecure nations, the most fragile economies, and the hungriest countries in the world,” he observed.
The Labour Party leader suggested that if the Japan trip was necessary, it should be limited to five days rather than the planned 12-day absence, considering the conference begins on August 20.
“What our nation needs now is security of lives and properties, economic stability and ensuring that our people have food on their table,” Obi emphasized, calling for the President to prioritize domestic tours with the same enthusiasm shown for international travel.
He urged Tinubu to adopt the mindset of a chief executive of a troubled nation rather than a tourist, stressing the need for strict work and travel schedules that demonstrate commitment to addressing Nigeria’s problems.
“Though Nigerians know that our huge problems cannot be solved overnight, they want to see 100% effort and tireless commitment to solving them,” Obi concluded, ending his statement with his signature phrase: “A New Nigeria is Possible.”
