LAGOS (Chatnewstv.com) — Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has sharply criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to embark on a leisure trip to Saint Lucia, calling the move “insensitive” and “ill-timed” given Nigeria’s mounting crises in insecurity, hunger, and governance.
In a statement posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday, Obi expressed shock over the President’s choice to prioritize “private leisure time” abroad while many Nigerians remain trapped in poverty, displacement, and insecurity.
“I am struggling with my senses to understand what is happening to governance in this country,” Obi wrote. “What I have seen and witnessed in the last two years has left me in shock.”
He pointed to alarming insecurity across the nation, arguing that Nigeria has recorded more civilian deaths in recent years “than a country officially at war.” He added that millions now live in worsening conditions, unable to afford basic necessities, while the government appears fixated on political gamesmanship and elite comfort.
Citing Saint Lucian Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre’s earlier remarks, Obi referenced Tinubu’s itinerary, which includes two days of official engagements on June 30 and July 1, followed by several days of personal vacation. “I didn’t want to believe that anybody in the position of authority, more so the President… would contemplate a leisure trip at this time,” Obi stated.
The former governor criticized Tinubu’s absence from key national tragedies, including recent flooding in Minna, Niger State, where over 200 people died and 700 remain missing, and a mass killing in Benue State that forced the President to make what Obi called a “political jamboree” stop in Makurdi.
“This is a President going for leisure when he couldn’t visit Minna, Niger State, where over two hundred lives were lost,” he said.
Drawing a sharp contrast between the size and significance of affected Nigerian cities and the Caribbean nation of Saint Lucia, Obi emphasized the symbolic disconnect between Tinubu’s priorities and the plight of ordinary Nigerians.
“Makurdi is over 59% bigger than Saint Lucia, and Minna is nearly ten times larger,” he said, adding that both Nigerian cities have populations exceeding that of Saint Lucia, which stands at around 180,000.
Obi further accused the Tinubu administration of “channelling energy into politics and satisfaction of the elites” rather than addressing the “gory picture” of national suffering.
“This regime has repeatedly shown its insensitivity and lack of passion for the populace,” Obi declared. “What we see is a concentration of efforts in the 2027 election and on satisfying the wealthy while the mass poor continues to multiply.”
He concluded by urging Nigeria’s leadership to redirect its focus toward alleviating poverty and ensuring equity in the distribution of the country’s resources.
“The God-given resources of this country belong to all, not to a few,” Obi said. “The time has come to put a stop to this drift before it consumes all.”
