Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu for embarking on a 12-day trip to Japan and Brazil at a time when Nigerians are grappling with worsening economic hardship and insecurity.
In a statement shared on Thursday via X, Obi described the trip as insensitive to the nation’s current struggles, saying frequent overseas engagements send the wrong message when the country is in crisis. He questioned the necessity of this journey, especially since Tinubu had recently visited Brazil and met with its president. According to Obi, now should be the time for the president to be visiting crisis-hit states in Nigeria—not adding more stamps to his passport.
Obi pointed out that during a recent foreign engagement, Tinubu had spent a week in St. Lucia before attending the BRICS Summit—where Nigeria only participated as an observer. He stressed that the president must cut down on unnecessary travel and, if absolutely necessary, keep such trips short. Instead, Obi urged Tinubu to embark on nationwide tours to witness first-hand the struggles of citizens battling hunger, insecurity, and inflation.
“What Nigeria needs right now is security, economic stability, and food on the table for our people,” Obi said. “We know the problems won’t vanish overnight, but Nigerians want to see 100% effort and tireless commitment. The president must remember—he is not a tourist, but the chief executive of a troubled nation.”
