Again, Obi Slams Tinubu’s 8-Day St. Lucia Trip Amid ‘Highest Honour Award’

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has strongly criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ongoing 8-day state visit to St. Lucia, calling it “inappropriate and unacceptable” amid escalating crises across Nigeria.

“When I said that the President embarking on an 8-day state visit to St. Lucia at this critical time was inappropriate and unacceptable, it was not a lack of respect for the country of St.Lucia; rather, it is about the timing and duration for a President whose nation is in turmoil. Timing is everything, and right now, at this time, Nigeria is bleeding.

“But the handlers of the President defended the trip, citing cultural ties and economic gains and said he would also proceed from there to the BRICS summit, and this is the reason for the 8-day trip. But at this critical time when our people die daily and our schools and hospitals are not functioning, we should focus on fixing our country.

“Having been in St. Lucia for the past 4 days, we have not seen any agreement being entered or signed that would contribute to Nigeria’s development but rather we are watching Mr. President collect a personal honour and title in St. Lucia, because they know we are a country of titles and honour and crave accolades instead of actual development.

“Just today, as the President received titles in St. Lucia, at least 37 people were killed in Yobe State, in a Boko Haram attack, and currently, today, protesters in Kwara state have been protesting unemployment, banditry and high insecurity in the state.”

In a statement on Tuesday, Obi condemned what he described as a government more interested in accumulating titles than addressing the growing insecurity, failing education sector, and collapsing infrastructure at home.

Obi questioned the rationale behind the President’s extended visit to the Caribbean nation, which coincided with the conferment of a personal honour on Tinubu, while dozens of Nigerians lost their lives in violent attacks. “It is alarming that we now live in a country of titles and honours without any passion for the people’s plight,” Obi said.

He cited a Boko Haram attack in Yobe State that claimed at least 37 lives, as well as ongoing protests in Kwara and Abuja over unemployment, insecurity, and unpaid teacher salaries. “During the period the President has travelled, 200 Nigerians have died in various crisis-related incidents across the country,” Obi noted, adding that even Russia, a country at war, “has not lost as many innocent civilians as Nigeria, which is not officially at war.”

The former Anambra governor accused the Presidency of being out of touch with the suffering of ordinary Nigerians. “A nation in pain cannot afford a leadership in denial,” he said. Obi argued that while other world leaders are cutting back on travel or attending to urgent domestic affairs, Nigeria’s President is instead collecting accolades abroad.

Referencing the upcoming BRICS summit scheduled for July 6–7, which was cited by the Presidency as justification for the trip, Obi dismissed the reasoning. He pointed out that key BRICS leaders like those from China and Russia have declined to attend in person due to domestic concerns, emphasising that “no vacation, no summit and definitely no conference is more important than the lives of the Nigerian people you swore to protect.”

Obi also criticized the President’s limited domestic travel record, saying, “Other than Katsina where Mr. President went to attend a wedding, he has never spent a night or slept in any Nigerian state other than his home in Lagos for an official tour,” accusing the administration of failing to engage with some of the most troubled regions in the country.

Calling for urgent focus on the nation’s collapsing institutions, Obi concluded with a call to action: “We must now prioritise the security and welfare of Nigerians and vigorously pursue the same.

“Our children being in school, our people, especially young ones, being pulled out of poverty, we must now prioritise the security and welfare of Nigerians and vigorously pursue the same. A New Nigeria is POssible.”

The Presidency has yet to respond directly to Obi’s latest remarks.