Prompt Visit Needed, Not Future Dates That Look Like State Visit –Obi Tells Tinubu

The 3023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently visit communities devastated by recent disasters in Benue and Niger States, describing the delayed visits as lacking the urgency such tragedies demand.

In a post on X, Obi acknowledged President Tinubu’s eventual decision to visit the scene of brutal killings in Benue State but urged him to extend the same concern to Niger State, where more lives were reportedly lost due to a catastrophic flood.

“Given the emergency nature of these incidents, a prompt visit would have delivered the urgency needed, instead of giving future dates that make it look like a state visit,” Obi stated.

The former Anambra State governor stressed that over 200 people have died in each of the affected states, with the community of Mokwa in Niger State suffering particularly heavy losses, more than 200 confirmed dead and over 1,000 still missing.

“These are not just statistics; they are the lives of Nigerian families torn apart and their communities destroyed,” Obi said.

Highlighting the geographical proximity of the affected areas to the Federal Capital Territory, Obi noted that the journey from Abuja to Makurdi is approximately 282 kilometres, while the distance to Mokwa stands at 287 kilometres. He pointed out that these locations are well within reach for a presidential visit and compared Tinubu’s delayed action to that of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who recently travelled a 1,870-kilometre round trip to visit victims of flooding in Mthatha, where fewer than 100 lives were lost.

“If the South African President could do it, we trust that you, as our own President, can do the same for your people,” Obi asserted.

He concluded by urging President Tinubu to demonstrate proactive leadership, emphasising that his physical presence in grieving communities would send a powerful message that every Nigerian life matters, regardless of location or status.

Let your visit to Mokwa send a strong message that all Nigerian lives matter, and that no community, no matter how rural, is forgotten,” Obi appealed.

It will be recalled that Tinubu said he has rescheduled his planned visit to Kaduna State and will instead travel to Benue State on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, after mounting criticism over his silence and leadership style following the recent deadly attack in the Yelewata community in Benue State.

The President’s decision comes after intense backlash from Nigerians, political opponents, and civil society groups who condemned his delayed response to the killings, which left scores of residents dead last Friday.

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Oluwasegun Sanusi

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