{"id":120225,"date":"2025-06-29T21:29:27","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T20:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=120225"},"modified":"2025-06-29T21:29:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T20:29:27","slug":"insecurity-tinubus-caribbean-vacation-shows-disregard-for-nigerians-plight-peter-obi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/insecurity-tinubus-caribbean-vacation-shows-disregard-for-nigerians-plight-peter-obi\/","title":{"rendered":"Insecurity: Tinubu\u2019s Caribbean Vacation Shows Disregard for Nigerians\u2019 Plight \u2013 Peter Obi"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Tracy Moses<\/div>\n
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The Labour Party\u2019s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticized President Bola Tinubu for embarking on a vacation to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean amid heightened insecurity and tragedy in the country.<\/div>\n
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Obi condemned the president\u2019s timing, stating that the country is reeling from violent attacks and natural disasters in Benue, Niger, Borno, Plateau, and other state, circumstances, he argued, that call for compassion and leadership, not recreation.<\/div>\n
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Posting on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, Obi expressed alarm over what he described as the administration\u2019s persistent indifference toward the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.<\/div>\n
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Referencing an earlier statement from the presidency regarding Tinubu\u2019s diplomatic and leisure trip to the Caribbean and South America, Obi said this insensitivity was confirmed by Saint Lucia\u2019s Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre. At a press conference, Pierre disclosed that Tinubu would arrive on Saturday, June 28, 2025, for official functions on June 30 and July 1, followed by personal time off.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhat has unfolded over the last two years in this country is shocking. Governance has taken a backseat, while political maneuvering and elite interests dominate. Meanwhile, millions of Nigerians are living in poverty and fear,\u201d Obi stated.<\/div>\n
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\u201cNigeria has recorded a death toll from criminal violence comparable to that of war-torn countries. It has become one of the most unsafe places globally. With hunger and insecurity ravaging communities, the idea of a presidential holiday at this moment is bewildering.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Obi added, \u201cWhen I saw the news about a leisure trip to the Caribbean, I dismissed it as a rumor. How could a president, just returning from a break in Lagos, be heading off again while hundreds die or go missing in disasters like the recent flood in Minna, Niger State?\u201d<\/div>\n
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He further criticized Tinubu\u2019s response to the Benue massacre, where over 200 people were killed. \u201cOnly after public outrage did the President visit Makurdi, and that visit turned into a grand event with school children paraded to welcome him, rather than a somber condolence trip to the village affected.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Highlighting the scale of the affected areas, Obi compared them to Saint Lucia. \u201cMakurdi covers 937.4 km\u00b2, over 59% larger than St. Lucia\u2019s 617 km\u00b2. Minna is 6,789 km\u00b2, ten times larger. Both Nigerian cities have significantly higher populations: Makurdi with nearly 490,000 and Minna over 530,000, compared to St. Lucia\u2019s 180,000.\u201d<\/div>\n
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He continued, \u201cThis isn\u2019t the time for leisure, especially for the President, who bears ultimate responsibility for the nation. The government\u2019s continued prioritization of elite interests over the needs of the poor is appalling and must end.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Obi concluded with a message to the country\u2019s leaders: \u201cNigeria\u2019s vast resources are not the birthright of a select few. They belong to all of us. The nation cannot continue down this path of neglect. We must urgently address poverty and suffering before the consequences become irreversible.\u201d<\/div>\n
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