Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has reacted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s planned visit to Benue State following a wave of deadly attacks that recently claimed numerous lives.
The Presidency announced on Monday that the President is scheduled to visit Benue on Wednesday, in what appears to be a response to mounting public pressure and growing national outrage over the government’s silence on the tragedy.
Obi, who had earlier criticised the President for failing to publicly acknowledge or visit the affected communities, welcomed the news but stressed the need for a more urgent and compassionate approach to national tragedies.
“It was refreshing news on Monday to a bewildered nation learning that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has finally decided to visit the scene of the brutal killings in Benue State. For this I thank him even as I make further request that similar gesture should be extended to Niger State that lost more number of human lives in a natural disaster, flood recently,” Obi said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
The former governor argued that while the visit is a step in the right direction, the delayed response diminishes the urgency such situations demand.
“Given the emergency nature of these incidents, a prompt visits would have delivered the urgency needed, instead of giving future dates that makes it look like a state visit,” he said.
He added, “The presence of the President in these devastated and grieving communities will be very reassuring and uplifting. Both Benue and Niger States have lost over 200 lives each due to recent tragedies. In Mokwa alone, more than 200 people were confirmed dead, and over 1,000 are still missing following the floods. These are not just statistics; they are the lives of Nigerian families torn apart and their communities destroyed.”
He also drew comparisons with the actions of other world leaders, referencing the South African President’s recent trip to console victims of flooding in his country.
“The distance from Abuja to these affected areas is not far. Abuja to Makurdi is about 282 km and Abuja to Mokwa is about 287 km. Combined, that’s roughly 1,134 km for a round trip to both locations, still significantly less than the 1,870 km round trip President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa recently made some days ago from Pretoria to Mthatha to personally visit flood victims in his country.
“Less than 100 persons died in Mthatha, and more than 200 died in Mokwa, with over 1000 still missing.
“If the South African President could do it, we trust that you, as our own President, can do the same for your people,” Obi urged.
He also called for stronger leadership and improved national security measures.
“Let your visit to Mokwa send a strong message, that all Nigerian lives matter, and that no community, no matter how rural, is forgotten. Please also consider stepping up security across the country, especially in disaster-prone areas.
“We look forward to seeing not leadership by remote control but proactive leadership that responds not just with words, but with compassion and action.”
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
