Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi Thursday lectured Bola Tinubu on what the role of a president should be in a country in dire straits, admonishing him to sit down and work instead of spending 30% of his time in office junketing around the world.
In a world press conference in Abuja, Obi painted a gloomy picture of a country, where the citizens are scavenging for food and dying in the process – different from the optimistic picture propagated by the Tinubu Presidency.
Obi regretted that things are worsening and that Nigerians are living in IDP camps in their own country due to the scourge of insecurity. He described the security situation in the country as unfortunate, saying Nigerians die needlessly due to banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping-for-ransom.
The former Anambra State governor also said the level of corruption in Nigeria remained high and so is the cost of governance which has led to an astronomical increase in public debt under the current administration of President Bola Tinubu of the APC.
Obi stated that government officials willfully mismanaged public funds in 2024 through incessant foreign travels.
On the way forward, he listed three key things Mr Tinubu should prosecute without delay if Nigeria were to survive – He should immediately cut the cost of governance, genuinely combat corruption and only borrow only for specific projects .
“The focus should be on eliminating current and future official malfeasance through increased transparency and accountability in public procurement and contract award processes, as well as thorough monitoring of execution to ensure that limited resources are efficiently utilized and applied productive
“All future borrowing must be tied to regenerative investments and visible, productive assets that benefit the nation. This will ensure both productivity and the ability to service and amortize such loans, rather than continuing the current practice of accumulating massive debt with no tangible returns, which places undue strain on future development revenue,” Obi said.
Instead of wasting the nation sparse resources on unnecessary foreign trips, he further advised the President to spend at least 72 days visiting each of Nigeria’s 36 states for two days each. And likewise visiting the country’s institutions, so that he can see firsthand the decay.
Obi recalled how, as Anambra governor, he went on a road trip with former President Olusegun Obasanjo from Awka to Onitsha, which led to the refurbishing of that road by the Federal Government. He further recalled how former President Shehu Shagari visited his former school, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka while he was a student there. He implored Tinubu to do the same.
“Mr President, out of the approximately 580 days (as of December 29, 2024) you have been in office, it is reported that you have spent over 30%, or around 180 days, on more than 30 publicly recorded overseas trips. My appeal is that you dedicate at least 20% of 2025, roughly 72 days, to visit each of Nigeria’s 36 states for two days each.
“As President, such visits would give you the opportunity to better understand the dire economic and security situations across the country. Furthermore, it is time for you to visit our national hospitals. Consider, for example, that your next medical examination be conducted at one of our National Hospitals or Regional Federal Medical Centres, such as the FMC in Sokoto or Birnin Kebbi or Calabar or Umuahia or Akure, among others.”
When asked about the rumoured looming merger of his party with other opposition parties, Obi said there was no deal yet with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) or any other party. According to him, no agreement has been reached with other parties. However, he urged all lovers of Nigeria to come together in 2027 and defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he accused of mismanaging the country’s resources.
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