KEY POINTS

• Peter Obi faults Tinubu’s 12-day foreign trip.
• He says insecurity and hunger demand urgent attention.
• Obi urges focus on visiting crisis-hit Nigerian states.

President Bola Tinubu’s upcoming 12-day tour of Japan and Brazil has drawn sharp criticism from former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, who says the trip reflects “indifference” to Nigeria’s deepening security and economic woes.

In a post on X, Obi faulted Tinubu for prioritizing overseas engagements while Nigerians grapple with rising hunger, insecurity, and a fragile economy. He urged the president to spend more time touring crisis-hit states and speaking directly to citizens, rather than engaging in frequent foreign travel.

Obi questions value of frequent foreign trips

According to the Presidency, Tinubu departs Abuja on August 14, with a stopover in Dubai before heading to Yokohama for the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) from August 20–22. He will then travel to Brazil, though his return date remains unspecified.

Obi noted that Tinubu had only recently returned from Brazil and had also embarked on a week-long visit to St. Lucia before attending the BRICS Summit as an observer.

The former Anambra governor questioned the rationale of another long trip to the same country within weeks, saying the events could be attended in fewer days.

Tinubu’s trips offer ‘little or no value’

“Our insecurity situation, economic hardship, and human suffering have reached their peak,” Obi said. “We are now counted among the most insecure nations, the most fragile economies, and the hungriest countries in the world. This dire reality demands the full attention of Mr. President.”

He argued that extended foreign trips offer “little or no tangible value” to solving Nigeria’s challenges and risk projecting a perception that the president is disengaged from urgent domestic concerns.

Obi urges president to tour troubled states

Obi challenged Tinubu to adopt the same energy for foreign engagements when visiting Nigeria’s troubled regions.

“Mr. President must know that he’s not a tourist, but the Chief Executive of a troubled nation,” he said.

“He must have strict work schedules and a disciplined travel plan to quickly return to his duties.”