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BusinessTinubu, Shettima outside the country even as the nation mourn.

Tinubu, Shettima outside the country even as the nation mourn.

18th October 2024

 

The presidential flag bearer for Labour Party in the 2023 general elections , Peter Obi, has faulted the foreign trips embarked upon by both President Bola Tinubu and his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima especially at a time when the country is mourning the loss of over a hundred Nigerians who died in the Jigsaw petroleum tanker accident.

President Bola Tinubu departed for the United Kingdom on October 2, 2024, for a two-week working leave. He later left the UK for France on Friday, October 11, for “another important engagement,” quoting his Senior Special Assistant on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari.

On the other hand, vice president Kashim Shettima left Abuja on Wednesday for Sweden on a two-day visit to represent Nigeria in bilateral engagements with the Scandinavian nation.

Reacting to the numbers one and two citizens of Nigeria trip on Friday in a post on his X, Peter Obi, who is also a former number one citizen of Anambra state, stated that it was disturbing that Tinubu and his deputy weren’t in the country at a time when citizens need them most.

His tweets read, “While it is arguable that with the President and Vice President absent from the Villa, there is no vacancy in the Presidency, in a situation where both the President and Vice President are out of the country, as reported in the media yesterday, it’s concerning for a country with such myriads of domestic problems.

The President had told us he would only be gone for 14 days. The 14 days have passed now, and we are waiting to see him in the country. One would have expected him to return earlier than expected, considering the volume of work that needs to be done in a troubled nation like ours.

“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.”

According to him, 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.’

READ MORE; Peter Obi Lambast FG over new Fuel Hike.

Obi added, “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, from 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 does not represent the kind of fiscal responsibility and common sense that is expected of leaders whose people are facing severe hunger and poverty.

“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.”

Meanwhile, the trips, were justified by the Presidency on Wednesday saying the absence of the President and his deputy does not pose any vacuum in Nigeria’s leadership. It said the two principal officers are “fully engaged with the nation’s affairs, even while away.”

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