Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the general elections of 2023, has criticized President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for their overseas travels.
He said it was alarming that the trips were occurring at a time when the nation is facing internal difficulties.
According to The PUNCH, Tinubu left for a two-week working leave in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2024. Later on Friday, October 11, he left the UK for France for “another important engagement,” according to a tweet from Ibrahim Masari, his Senior Special Assistant on Political and Other Matters.
Shettima, meanwhile, departed Abuja on Wednesday for a two-day visit to Sweden in order to represent Nigeria in bilateral talks with the country of Scandinavia.
The Presidency on Wednesday provided justification for both trips, stating that there is no leadership void in Nigeria as a result of Tinubu and his deputy’s absence. It said the two principal officers are “fully engaged with the nation’s affairs, even while away.”
However, in response to the Presidency’s defense on Friday, former Anambra State governor Obi maintained in a post on his X that it was troubling that Tinubu and his deputy were absent from the nation at a critical juncture.
He wrote, “While it is arguable that with the President and Vice President absent from the Villa, there is no vacancy in the Presidency, in a situation where both the President and Vice President are out of the country, as reported in the media yesterday, it’s concerning for a country with such myriads of domestic problems.
The President had told us he would only be gone for 14 days. We are still waiting to see him in the nation after the last 14 days. Given the amount of work that needs to be done in a country like ours that is experiencing turmoil, one would have expected him to return earlier than anticipated.
“We require his immediate attention to guide the country out of this current situation because of the unimaginable hardship that some of his administration’s policies have unleashed on our people.”
According to him, since the President is reportedly in Paris, France, which is just about 833 nautical miles from Stockholm, Sweden, one wonders why he did not just attend the 2-day working visit to Sweden.’
Obi added, “He could simply have done it on his way back from France with his new powerful jet, which would have taken him a little over 2 hours. This would have saved time and the very scarce national resources we need critically at this time.
“Instead, he delegated the Vice President, who needed to travel 3055 nautical miles, over nine hours, and (about 4 times the travel time from Paris) Abuja, Nigeria, to Stockholm, Sweden, to represent him at the event.
“To get from Abuja to Stockholm, one would have to travel approximately four times as long and far as it does from Paris. This is not the kind of fiscal responsibility or common sense one would expect from leaders whose people are suffering from extreme poverty and hunger.
“Now is the moment to demonstrate to the people that you are a true and dedicated leader by making decisions that put their welfare first and efficiently use the limited resources of the country to lessen their suffering.”
Since taking office 17 months ago, these trips represent the second time that both officers have left the nation at the same time.
Between late April and early May 2024, while Tinubu was in London, after visiting the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, where he attended the World Economic Forum, Shettima left Nigeria, first to Nairobi to attend the International Development Association Heads of State Summit.
After returning, he left for Dallas, Texas, to attend the US-Africa Business Summit organised by the Corporate Council on Africa. However, the VP cancelled his trip midway and returned to the country.
Tinubu returned to Abuja on 8 May.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
