Peter Obi: Nigeria Needs a Present President, Not a Perpetual Traveller

Amid the deplorable state of our nation on all fronts, we have a virtually indifferent President who continues to display alarming insensitivity to our situation.

How does one explain that a President who only recently returned from Brazil is now heading back to the same country—leaving behind unresolved crises at home?

According to his latest itinerary, President Tinubu will depart Abuja on Thursday, August 14, for a two-nation trip to Japan and Brazil, with a stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In Japan, he will attend the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama from August 20 to 22. Notably, the schedule is silent on his return date to a nation visibly in distress.

It is deeply troubling that our President—who has yet to visit any of Nigeria’s most troubled states—seems to find joy in foreign travel at the slightest invitation, often departing days before the events he is meant to attend.

In his last foreign trip, for example, he spent a week in St. Lucia before attending the BRICS Summit—where Nigeria was only present as an observer, despite the role being dressed up as that of a “partner.” In contrast, leaders of actual member countries typically arrived just a day or two before the event.

Meanwhile, insecurity, economic hardship, and human suffering in Nigeria have reached unprecedented levels. We now rank among the most insecure nations, the most fragile economies, and the hungriest countries in the world. This dire reality demands the President’s full attention—not prolonged absences for conferences that yield little tangible benefit.

If his upcoming trip is unavoidable, it should be no longer than five days—given that the Japan conference begins on August 20—rather than the planned 12 days abroad. Nigeria today needs security of lives and property, economic stability, and policies that put food on citizens’ tables.

Our country requires leadership marked by competence, capacity, compassion, and sacrifice. The President should embark on tours of Nigeria’s states with the same enthusiasm he has for foreign trips—seeing firsthand, listening directly, and understanding deeply the struggles Nigerians face.

Nigerians know our problems won’t be solved overnight, but they expect 100% effort and visible commitment. Most importantly, Mr. President must remember that he is not a tourist. He is the Chief Executive of a nation in crisis, and his schedule—both at home and abroad—should reflect that urgent reality.