Obi: Tinubu, Shettima’s absence lacks common sense

Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has decried the absence of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima from Nigeria.

The Star recalls that Tinubu left Nigeria for a two-week vacation in the United Kingdom on October 3, while Shettima departed the country for Sweden on an official visit on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.

The Presidency later stated that Tinubu and Shettima’s absence from the country didn’t create a vacuum in leadership.

“It is important to note that the President and Vice President are fully engaged with the nation’s affairs, even while they are away. There is no leadership vacuum in the country,” the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement on Wednesday.

However, Obi, in a statement shared on X on Friday, October 18, said the absence of the nation’s leaders “does not represent the kind of fiscal responsibility and common sense that is expected of leaders whose people are facing severe hunger and poverty.”

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election stated that Tinubu’s two-week vacation has elapsed, saying the president ought to have returned to Nigeria, “considering the volume of work that needs to be done in a troubled nation like ours”.

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Obi added: “The untold hardship that has been unleashed on our people as a result of some of his administration’s policies is unimaginable and we need his urgent attention to pilot the nation out of this present situation.

“Again, since the President is reportedly in Paris, France, which is just about 833 nautical miles from Stockholm, Sweden, one wonders why he did not just attend the 2-day working visit to Sweden. He could simply have done it on his way back from France with his new powerful jet, which would have taken him a little over 2 hours.

“This would have saved time and the very scarce national resources we need critically at this time. Instead, he delegated the Vice President, who needed to travel 3055 nautical miles, over nine hours, and (about 4 times the travel time from Paris) Abuja, Nigeria, to Stockholm, Sweden, to represent him at the event. It would take about 4 times the time and distance it takes to travel from Paris to Stockholm to travel from Abuja to Stockholm.

“This is the time to show true and committed leadership to the people by making decisions that prioritize the well-being of the people and effective management of the nation’s scarce resources in alleviating the sufferings of the people.”

The Star