…Wants Tinubu to visit Niger flood victims too
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Mr Peter Obi, has told President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, that “Nigeria does not need a leadership by remote but a proactive leadership that responds not just with words, but with compassion and action.”
Obi was responding to Tinubu’s indication of interest to visit Benue State after calling him out for showing lack of empathy following the recent massacre of over 200 people by suspected Fulani herdsmen and the unfortunate flood disaster in Mokw, Niger State.
He, however, commended the President for his willingness to visit the victims’ families but said the visit would have been more effective if undertaken earlier.
This is as he also urged Mr President to extend the visit to victims of the recent flood disaster in Niger State which claimed over 200 lives with about 1000 still missing.
Obi who took to his X handle on Tuesday wrote: “It was refreshing news on Monday to a bewildered nation learning that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has finally decided to visit the scene of the brutal killings in Benue State. For this I thank him even as I make further request that similar gesture should be extended to Niger state that lost more number of human lives in a natural disaster, flood recently.
“Given the emergency nature of these incidents, a prompt visits would have delivered the urgency needed, instead of giving future dates that makes it look like a state visit.
“The presence of the President in these devastated and grieving communities will be very reassuring and uplifting.
“Both Benue and Niger States have lost over 200 lives each due to recent tragedies. In Mokwa alone, more than 200 people were confirmed dead, and over 1,000 are still missing following the floods. These are not just statistics; they are the lives of Nigerian families torn apart and their communities destroyed.
“The distance from Abuja to these affected areas is not far. Abuja to Makurdi is about 282 km and Abuja to Mokwa is about 287 km
“Combined, that’s roughly 1,134 km for a round trip to both locations, still significantly less than the 1,870 km round trip President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa recently made some days ago from Pretoria to Mthatha to personally visit flood victims in his country.
“Less than 100 persons died in Mthatha, and more than 200 died in Mokwa, with over 1000 still missing.”
Obi argued that if the South African President could undertake a round trip of 1,870 kilometers, there was no justifiable excuse for the Nigeria President not to also do same.
“If the South African President could do it, we trust that you, as our own President, can do the same for your people.
“Let your visit to Mokwa send a strong message, that all Nigerian lives matter, and that no community, no matter how rural, is forgotten. Please also consider stepping up security across the country, especially in disaster-prone areas.”
Meanwhile, renowned investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, has criticised President Tinubu for hinting of his visit to Benue as if he was embarking on state visit.
Soyombo in a post on his X handle wrote: “I will adjust my programme to go see Benue people on Wednesday”.
“Sounds like the president is rendering a favour to Benue by visiting. Who forced you to be president? What other programme can be more important than the security of citizens’ lives?”
Recall that there has been local and International outrage against the Benue massacre.
