Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, on Friday criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for sending Vice-President Kashim Shettima to represent him in Sweden while he was on an extended leave from Nigeria in Britain and France.
On October, 2, 2024, the President had left Nigeria on a two-week leave to the UK. It was later announced that he had moved to France.
Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, had claimed that the President left on October 3, though the statement he issued to announce Tinubu’s two-week leave indicated that the President would depart Nigeria on October 2, and there was no further public communication that the plan had changed.
In a series of tweets on Friday, Obi carpeted the President for not proceeding to Sweden from France, lamenting the resources spent in having Shettima fly down there from Abuja.
“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.
“Again, since the President is reportedly in Paris, France, which is just about 833 nautical miles from Stockholm, Sweden, one wonders why he did not just attend the 2-day working visit to Sweden. He could simply have done it on his way back from France with his new powerful jet, which would have taken him a little over 2 hours.
“This would have saved time and the very scarce national resources we need critically at this time. Instead, he delegated the Vice President, who needed to travel 3055 nautical miles, over nine hours, and (about 4 times the travel time from Paris) Abuja, Nigeria, to Stockholm, Sweden, to represent him at the event. It would take about 4 times the time and distance it takes to travel from Paris to Stockholm to travel from Abuja to Stockholm.
“This does not represent the kind of fiscal responsibility and common sense that is expected of leaders whose people are facing severe hunger and poverty. This is the time to show true and committed leadership to the people by making decisions that prioritize the well-being of the people and effective management of the nation’s scarce resources in alleviating the sufferings of the people.”