Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, describing it as insensitive and ill-timed, considering the worsening insecurity and poverty facing Nigerians.
Obi, in a statement shared on his verified X handle on Saturday, expressed shock that the President would embark on what he described as a leisure trip while citizens grapple with hardship, violent crimes, and natural disasters.
“This is a President going for leisure when he couldn’t visit Minna, Niger State, where over two hundred lives were lost and more than 700 persons are still missing in a flood disaster,” Obi stated.
He condemned what he called the federal government’s continuous disregard for the plight of ordinary Nigerians, adding that the current leadership appears more committed to political ceremonies and foreign trips than addressing pressing national issues.
Obi cited the recent flooding in Niger State, rising insecurity, and hunger across the country as clear indications that this is not the time for luxury travels or vacations.
He also took a swipe at Tinubu’s earlier trip to Lagos, which he described as another unnecessary holiday, stressing that Nigeria has suffered more deaths from insecurity in the last two years than some countries officially at war.
Obi further questioned why the President could find time to visit Saint Lucia but failed to physically sympathise with communities affected by disasters within Nigeria.
“The love for foreign trips and leisure while the country burns is a mockery of leadership responsibility. The President ought to show empathy, presence, and practical action in times of national crises, not abscond for pleasure,” Obi added.
Tinubu is visiting Saint Lucia and Brazil to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic and economic ties with the Global South. During the state visit to Saint Lucia, he is scheduled to meet with Governor-General Cyril Errol Melchiades Charles and Prime Minister Philip Pierre, and address a joint session of the country’s parliament.
