Peter Obi Slams Tinubu’s Trip to Saint Lucia, Says Nigerians Deserve Empathy, Not Elitist Leisure

 

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has launched a blistering critique of President Bola Tinubu’s decision to travel to Saint Lucia at a time when Nigeria is grappling with rising insecurity, widespread hunger and the aftermath of natural disasters.

Obi expressed deep dismay at what he described as the insensitivity and poor timing of Tinubu’s international visit, especially considering the dire conditions currently affecting millions of Nigerians. His reaction, shared in a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), conveyed both personal frustration and a broader appeal for urgent leadership change.

Struggling to reconcile the President’s actions with the severity of issues facing the nation, Obi questioned the current state of governance. “I am struggling with my senses to understand what is happening to governance in this country,” he stated.

The President is scheduled to leave the country on Saturday to attend the BRICS summit in Brazil, with a stop in Saint Lucia. According to Saint Lucia's Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre, the visit is to include both official duties and several days of personal vacation.

Obi, however, could not hide his disapproval. He cited widespread insecurity and food scarcity as core issues that should demand the President’s full attention. He pointed out that over the last two years, more Nigerians have died from criminal violence than citizens of some war-torn countries.

“This country is not officially at war, yet it ranks among the most insecure places globally,” he wrote. “People are hungry, desperate, and unsure of where their next meal is coming from.”

Obi was initially in disbelief upon hearing of the President’s plan to travel to the Caribbean. He assumed it was either misinformation or satire. “I told the person who informed me that it couldn’t possibly be true. The President just returned from a holiday in Lagos, so how can he now be headed for another break?” he asked.

Beyond the issue of leisure, Obi called attention to the government’s neglect of its citizens, especially those affected by recent disasters. He highlighted the situation in Niger State, where massive flooding has reportedly left over 200 people dead and at least 700 others missing. Despite the gravity of the disaster, Tinubu has not visited the affected communities.

“To think that the President can plan a vacation without first visiting Minna, Niger State, where hundreds have perished and many remain missing, is deeply troubling,” Obi noted.

He also took aim at a recent presidential visit to Makurdi in Benue State. While the trip was publicized as a condolence mission following a brutal mass killing, Obi criticized it as politically charged and lacking genuine empathy. He expressed disappointment that the President never made it to the exact location of the attack, describing the visit as a superficial show marred by fanfare and pageantry.

Comparing the population and size of Nigerian cities to the tiny Caribbean nation, Obi emphasized how misplaced the President’s priorities appeared. “Makurdi, with a land area of 937.4 square kilometers, is nearly 60 percent larger than Saint Lucia’s 617 square kilometers. Minna is even larger, spanning over 6,700 square kilometers,” he explained.

Obi did not stop there. He highlighted that Saint Lucia’s population of 180,000 is dwarfed by Makurdi’s nearly half a million residents and Minna’s population of over 500,000. These figures, he argued, show that the President’s attention should be focused on his own people rather than foreign leisure destinations.

Calling for a fundamental shift in governance, Obi argued that leadership must be grounded in urgency, empathy and service. He suggested that rather than seeking leisure, Tinubu should be asking for “extra hours in a day” to tackle the nation’s mounting problems.

“Instead of channeling energy into politics and elite satisfaction, this administration must turn its focus toward addressing the concerns of ordinary Nigerians,” he asserted.

Obi lamented what he sees as a growing indifference on the part of the federal government to the struggles of the poor. He emphasized that the country’s resources are meant for all Nigerians, not just a select few.

He closed with a call to action, urging Nigerian leaders to pause, reflect and change course before the nation’s current trajectory leads to greater suffering. “The time has come to stop this drift before it consumes us all. We must focus on lifting people out of poverty,” he said.