Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to embark on another holiday abroad, arguing that Nigeria is facing challenges that require the President’s attention at home.
Obi, in a statement, said Tinubu’s three-week vacation in Europe was coming at a time when Nigerians were grappling with rising food and transportation costs, insecurity and limited access to education and healthcare.
He particularly referenced the reported abduction of about 600 Nigerians, mainly women, children and elderly persons, during Juma’at prayers in Niger State, describing the development as evidence of the severity of the country’s security challenges.
The former governor also raised concerns over reported government spending on presidential travel, claiming that expenditure on Tinubu’s trips and related costs between June 2023 and April 2026 stood at about N37.64 billion.
He further alleged that Tinubu spent approximately 261 days outside Nigeria during the period.
Obi contrasted the reported travel expenditure with funding for healthcare, claiming that only N36 million was released to the Federal Ministry of Health in 2025 despite a capital allocation of N218 billion.
He said the figures raised questions about the government’s priorities amid widespread hardship.
“This is the calamity befalling our country today,” Obi said, arguing that a government spending billions of naira on presidential travel while critical sectors remained underfunded should reconsider its priorities.
According to him, leadership required placing the welfare and needs of citizens ahead of personal convenience.
“When citizens cannot feed their families, move safely, access healthcare, send their children to school, or sleep peacefully in their homes, the President should be more concerned about fixing the country than repeatedly leaving it,” he said.
Obi, however, called for greater patronage of domestic tourism, saying Nigeria’s political leaders and influential citizens should explore the country’s tourist destinations rather than routinely travelling abroad for leisure.
He said Tinubu should lead efforts to promote Nigeria as a tourism destination by visiting states such as Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Cross River, Bauchi and Ebonyi.
According to him, increased domestic tourism could create employment and stimulate businesses in hospitality, transportation, agriculture, entertainment and handicrafts while attracting investment and foreign exchange.
“We cannot continue to export our wealth and import our pleasures while our own enormous potential remains neglected,” Obi said.
He added that Nigerians deserved a government that prioritised the country’s development and citizens’ welfare.
Obi concluded by linking his position to his political partnership with former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, saying their collaboration would provide what he described as “leadership that puts Nigeria first.”
“A New Nigeria is possible,” he stated.
- Man announces end of marriage after second wife remarries - September 1, 2026
- PDP vice chairman Dan Orbih dies at 67 - September 1, 2026
- Obi criticises Tinubu’s holiday, says Nigeria needs ‘leadership that puts country first’ - September 1, 2026
