Our Reporter, Abuja
Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has doubled down on his earlier disappointment over President Bola Tinubu’s recent trip to Saint Lucia, describing it as ill-timed and insensitive amidst the country’s current insecurity and hardship.
Obi, who expressed his thoughts in a lengthy post on Tuesday via his official X handle, called on the government to focus on addressing the country’s pressing issues rather than pursuing titles and honours.
“It is alarming that we now live in a country of titles and honours without any passion for the people’s plight,” Obi said.
“While the Presidency basks in the euphoria of titles, St. Lucia, our people are being killed at home.”
Obi highlighted the dire situation in Nigeria, citing the rising insecurity and loss of lives to various forms of criminality.
“At least 37 people were killed in Yobe State, in a Boko Haram attack, and currently, today, protesters in Kwara State have been protesting unemployment, banditry and high insecurity in the state,” he noted.
According to Obi, during the period the president has travelled, 200 Nigerians have died in various crisis-related incidents across the country.
“Russia, a country at war, has not lost as many innocent civilians as Nigeria, which is not officially at war,” he added.
Obi criticized the president’s priorities, saying, “A nation in pain cannot afford a leadership in denial. At a time when blood is being spilt on our soil, when children are orphaned and communities erased overnight, with families separated at IDPs, our children are not in school, and teachers are not paid and basic hospitals are not functional, our leadership must be present.”
The former presidential candidate emphasized the need for the government to prioritize the security and welfare of Nigerians.
“No vacation, no summit and definitely no conference is more important than the lives of the Nigerian people you swore to protect,” he said.
