In a recent turn of events, Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, has faulted the foreign trips embarked upon by both President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Vice, Kashim Shettima.
According to the former presidential aspirant, the trips are coming when the country is grappling with domestic challenges, were concerning.
President Tinubu left Nigeria for the United Kingdom on October 2, 2024, for a two-week working leave. Later on, his Senior Special Assistant on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari, tweeted that he the UK for France on “another important engagement,” on Friday, October 11.
Recall Niger Delta Connect reported that, Shettima left Abuja on Wednesday for Sweden on a two-day visit to represent Nigeria in bilateral engagements with the Scandinavian nation.
In an attempt to Justify both trips, on Wednesday the Presidency said the absence of Tinubu and Shettima does not pose any vacuum in Nigeria’s leadership.
The Presidency also stated that the two principal officers were “fully engaged with the nation’s affairs, even while away.”
While, reacting to the Presidency’s justification in a post on his X on Friday, the former presidential aspirant under the Labour Party Umbrella during the last general elections, maintained that it was disturbing that Tinubu and his deputy weren’t in the country at a time when citizens need them most.
Mr. Obi said: “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.”
However, in the past 17 months, the trips mark the second time both officers have been concurrently out from the country since assuming office.
Shettima left Nigeria, first to Nairobi to attend the International Development Association Heads of State Summit, meanwhile Tinubu was in London, after visiting the
Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, where he attended the World Economic Forum.
Furthermore, he left for Dallas, Texas, to attend the US-Africa Business Summit organised by the Corporate Council on Africa. However, Shettima cancelled his trip midway and returned to the country. Later on, President Tinubu returned to Abuja on 8 May.
