The Labour Party (LP) has berated President Bola Tinubu for travelling to Europe on holiday at a time the country is grappling with rising insecurity, including foreign military interventions in the North.
Naijaonpoint recalls that Tinubu left Lagos for Europe for his end-of-year holiday ahead of an official visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he is scheduled to attend the 2026 edition of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that the trip was by invitation from the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to participate in the summit, which gathers global leaders from government, business, and civil society to advance sustainable development strategies.
However, LP’s acting National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, in an interview with Punch, described the trip as insensitive and devoid of empathy for Nigerians facing violent attacks and humanitarian crises.
Usman, speaking through her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Asogwa, stressed that the President should have remained in the country to coordinate security responses rather than embark on a holiday.
She further alleged that Nigeria was under external attack and accused the government of downplaying the severity of the situation.
She said, “This is the most inauspicious time for the President to leave the country. Even the Christmas holiday in Lagos seems ill-timed, given that a bomb exploded in Zamfara today, killing nine people.
“Nigeria is under attack by a foreign nation. No matter how the government tries to frame this, it is a violation of our sovereignty. This is the time for the commander-in-chief to coordinate the response, not embark on a holiday.”