Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his planned 12-day trip to Japan and Brazil, describing it as insensitive and ill-timed given Nigeria’s worsening security and economic crisis.
The President’s itinerary, announced on Wednesday by his spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, indicates that Tinubu will depart Abuja on Thursday, August 14, for a stopover in Dubai before proceeding to Yokohama, Japan, to attend the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) from August 20 to 22.
He is expected to visit Brazil thereafter, but the official schedule does not indicate his return date.
In a statement on Thursday, Obi expressed concern that Tinubu was leaving the country again, barely weeks after returning from Brazil, at a time he said “the nation bleeds.”
“Our President, who has not found it worthy to visit any of our troubled states, takes joy in travelling abroad at the slightest invitation or excuse, often departing several days before the actual event,” Obi said.
“The itinerary is silent on the President’s return date to his visibly troubled nation,” Obi added.
He accused the administration of “indifference” to worsening insecurity, food shortages, and economic hardship, noting that Nigeria is now “among the most insecure nations, the most fragile economies, and the hungriest countries in the world.”
The former Anambra governor pointed to Tinubu’s recent attendance at the BRICS Summit, preceded by a one-week state visit to St. Lucia, as an example of unnecessarily prolonged foreign trips. He argued that the upcoming Japan conference could have been attended within five days rather than 12, with the remaining time spent addressing urgent domestic challenges.
Obi said the President’s foreign travels “contribute little or no tangible value” compared to the pressing need for on-the-ground engagement in Nigeria’s crisis-hit communities. He urged Tinubu to embark instead on nationwide tours to “see, listen, and learn” about the people’s suffering.
“Mr. President must know that he is not a tourist, but the Chief Executive of a troubled nation,” Obi said, calling for a “strict work schedule and disciplined travel plan” to reflect the urgency of the country’s situation.