The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has expressed concerns over the recent foreign trips made by President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima. He highlighted that these trips come at a time when Nigeria is grappling with numerous domestic challenges.
According to The PUNCH, Tinubu left Nigeria for the United Kingdom on October 2, 2024, for a two-week working leave. Afterward, on Friday, October 11, he traveled to France for what was described as “another important engagement,” as tweeted by his Senior Special Assistant on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari.
Similarly, Vice President Shettima embarked on a two-day visit to Sweden on Wednesday, representing Nigeria in bilateral talks with the Scandinavian nation.
The Presidency, justifying the absence of both leaders, stated on Wednesday that their foreign trips do not create any leadership vacuum in Nigeria. It affirmed that both Tinubu and Shettima “remain fully engaged with the nation’s affairs, even while away.”
In response to the Presidency’s statement, Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, criticizing the absence of the nation’s top leaders during a time of pressing domestic issues.
He remarked, “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.”
He added that President Tinubu had initially indicated a 14-day absence, which has since elapsed. Obi pointed out that the urgency of Nigeria’s challenges would have warranted the President’s earlier return, saying, “The 14 days have passed now, and we are waiting to see him in the country. One would have expected him to return earlier than expected, considering the volume of work that needs to be done in a troubled nation like ours.”
Obi further emphasized the severe impact of certain government policies, stating, “The untold hardship that has been unleashed on our people as a result of some of his administration’s policies is unimaginable, and we need his urgent attention to pilot the nation out of this present situation.”
He also questioned why President Tinubu, currently in Paris, France, did not attend the Sweden visit himself, given the relatively short distance between the two countries. Obi wrote, “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, the President delegated the Vice President, leading to a more extensive and resource-consuming journey. Obi pointed out that “It would take about 4 times the time and distance it takes to travel from Paris to Stockholm to travel from Abuja to Stockholm. This does not represent the kind of fiscal responsibility and common sense that is expected of leaders whose people are facing severe hunger and poverty.”
He concluded by urging the administration to prioritize the nation’s well-being, saying, “This is the time to show true and committed leadership to the people by making decisions that prioritize the well-being of the people and effective management of the nation’s scarce resources in alleviating the sufferings of the people.”
This marks the second instance where both President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima have been absent from the country at the same time since taking office 17 months ago. In late April and early May 2024, Tinubu was in London following visits to the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia for the World Economic Forum, while Shettima was in Nairobi and Dallas for international summits.
