Obi faults Tinubu’s foreign trips amid worsening hardship, insecurity

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his frequent foreign trips, describing them as insensitive to Nigeria’s worsening economic and security situation.

In a statement on Thursday, Obi condemned the President’s latest itinerary, which shows he will depart Abuja on August 14 for a 12-day, two-nation trip to Japan and Brazil, with a stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tinubu is scheduled to attend the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, from August 20 to 22, but his return date has not been disclosed.

Obi noted that the President recently returned from Brazil and questioned the rationale for another trip to the same country without first addressing urgent domestic challenges.

“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,” Obi said. “Often, he departs several days before the events he’s invited to, leaving Nigeria’s problems unattended.”

Citing the President’s previous week-long state visit to St Lucia before attending the BRICS Summit as an observer, Obi argued that such prolonged absences were unnecessary and wasteful, especially when the nation ranks among the most insecure, economically fragile, and hunger-stricken countries in the world.

“What our nation needs now is the security of lives and property, economic stability, and ensuring that our people have food on the table,” he said, adding that the Japan trip, if necessary at all, should not exceed five days.

Obi urged Tinubu to prioritise touring Nigeria’s states to engage directly with citizens and witness their hardships first-hand. He stressed that Nigerians are not expecting overnight solutions but want to see “100 percent effort and tireless commitment” from their leader.

“Mr. President must know that he’s not a tourist, but the Chief Executive of a troubled nation,” Obi said. “He must have the consciousness, strict work schedules, and disciplined travel plans that show he has a country in crisis to return to quickly.”