Peter Obi has criticized President Tinubu for his planned trip abroad to Brazil and Japan on August 14, calling it insensitive amid Nigeria’s worsening security and economic crises.
In a statement shared on his X account, Obi described the President’s frequent foreign travels as a sign of “indifference” to the country’s urgent problems. He urged Tinubu to prioritize visiting troubled states and directly engage with citizens instead of treating the presidency like a tourist role.
According to the Presidency’s itinerary, Tinubu will leave Abuja on August 14, with a stop in Dubai before heading to Japan for the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama from August 20 to 22. The return date remains undisclosed.
Obi said:
“Again, our President travels while the nation suffers. At a time when Nigeria faces deep insecurity, economic hardship, and human suffering, the President chooses to travel abroad instead of addressing these challenges at home.
How can a President who recently visited Brazil return there again without resolving pressing issues in Nigeria?
The itinerary shows a 12-day trip, but the event in Japan starts on the 20th, meaning the trip could have been much shorter. Our President has yet to visit any troubled states but often leaves the country at the slightest invitation, sometimes days before the events he’s attending.
Nigeria needs competent leadership with compassion, fully present to tackle insecurity, stabilize the economy, and ensure food security. Mr. President must match his enthusiasm for foreign trips with visits to Nigerian states to understand and respond to citizens’ struggles.
Nigerians know these problems can’t be solved overnight, but they expect full effort and commitment. The President is not a tourist but the Chief Executive of a nation in crisis and must show a strict work and travel schedule that reflects this reality.
A New Nigeria is Possible.”
— Peter Obi