Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate from the 2023 elections, has expressed his disapproval of the recent foreign trips taken by President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
He argued that these travels are ill-timed given Nigeria’s pressing domestic issues.
Reports indicate that President Tinubu departed for the United Kingdom on October 2, 2024, for a two-week working leave, subsequently traveling to France on October 11 for “another important engagement,” as noted by his Senior Special Assistant, Ibrahim Masari. Meanwhile, Vice President Shettima journeyed to Sweden for a two-day visit intended for bilateral discussions.
In response to the criticism surrounding their absences, the Presidency defended the trips, asserting that there is no leadership vacuum in Nigeria. They emphasized that both leaders remain engaged with national affairs despite being abroad.
However, Obi countered this defense in a post on X, highlighting the concerns of citizens during this critical time. “While one could argue there’s no vacancy in the Presidency, it is troubling that both leaders are out of the country when their presence is urgently needed,” he wrote. Obi pointed out that the President had initially stated he would be away for just 14 days, and he expressed disappointment that Tinubu had not returned sooner, given the numerous challenges facing the nation.
Obi also questioned the rationale behind the travel arrangements, noting that since the President is in Paris—only about 833 nautical miles from Stockholm—he could have attended the bilateral meetings himself. “Using his new jet, the travel time from Paris to Stockholm would have only taken a little over two hours,” he said. “Instead, the Vice President had to undertake a lengthy journey of over nine hours from Abuja, which seems impractical and wasteful of national resources.”
He continued, “This situation reflects a lack of fiscal responsibility and common sense from leaders at a time when citizens are grappling with severe hardship and poverty.”
Notably, this incident marks the second occasion that both the President and Vice President have been out of the country simultaneously since they took office 17 months ago. In early May 2024, while Tinubu was in London following visits to the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, Shettima was attending international summits in Nairobi and Dallas, Texas, before returning home prematurely.
