Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate and former governor of Anambra State, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over what he described as a slow and selective approach to national tragedies.
In a post on Tuesday via his official X account, Obi acknowledged Tinubu’s recent decision to visit Benue State following the gruesome killings in parts of the state but said the gesture was long overdue.
He further urged the President to also visit Niger State, where devastating floods have reportedly killed over 200 people and left more than 1,000 missing, particularly in the Mokwa area.
“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,” Obi wrote.
However, Obi didn’t mince words in urging Tinubu to extend the same show of empathy to the people of Niger State who are equally reeling from a major disaster.
“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,” he said.
The former governor pointed out that presidential visits in times of tragedy go beyond formality, saying such gestures carry symbolic weight and offer emotional relief to victims and their communities.
“Given the emergency nature of these incidents, a prompt visit would have delivered the urgency needed instead of giving future dates that make it look like a state visit,” Obi added.
He argued that both Benue and Niger states deserve urgent national attention, especially given the comparable scale of human loss in both regions.
“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,” he stated.
Obi also criticised what he termed “leadership by remote control,” suggesting that Tinubu’s physical absence from disaster sites projects a lack of empathy and national unity.
“Presidential presence in times of crisis can be very reassuring and uplifting,” Obi emphasized.
To further support his argument, Obi referenced the recent action of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who undertook a lengthy journey to meet flood victims despite the smaller scale of the incident.
He wrote: “The distances from Abuja to both Makurdi and Mokwa are not far, about 282km and 287km respectively. If the South African President could do it, we trust that you, as our own President, can do the same for your people.”
He added: “Let your visit to Mokwa send a strong message, that all Nigerian lives matter, and that no community, no matter how rural, is forgotten.”
Obi concluded his message with a call for not just physical appearances, but meaningful leadership that includes increased investment in disaster preparedness and security measures to protect vulnerable communities.
“We look forward to seeing not leadership by remote control but proactive leadership that responds not just with words, but with compassion and action,” he said.