The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party has condemned the entourage and fanfare which trailed President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State.
Obi, in a statement, said the president’s visit, initially with the view to mourn with the people over the massacre in Yelewata and assess the impact of the killings was short of being solemn.
In the statement titled, ‘What has happened to our compassion as a People?’, Obi said the president’s visit would have been more befitting for the commissioning of the reconstructed Enugu-Makurdi highway, a critical road connecting South and Northern Nigeria which had become impassable for years.
He, however, stated that Timibu rather than arrive in a state of mourning, appeared before the people in a mood of celebration adorning an agbada attire like it was an occasion for joy.
Also condemning the Benue State government for showcasing such a rousing welcome for the president and his entourage, Obi decried the shutdown of schools and lining up of pupils and students to receive Tinubu under the rain.
He said, “We have tragically arrived at a point where condolence visits have become carnivals. A time that should be marked by silence and solemnity is now polluted by banners, music, and rehearsed spectacles. Precious Nigerian lives have been lost, yet we’re clapping, singing, and organizing processions, as though this were a campaign rally.
”This is not how any compassionate nation behaves. The energy, resources, and logistics poured into this charade could have gone into food supplies, temporary shelters, medical aid, school support, and trauma counselling for grieving families. Instead, we chose optics over empathy,” Obi wrote on X.
He further cited examples of how leaders ought to align with the pain experienced s by the people they govern.
“Look elsewhere: When President Ramaphosa visited Mthatha after the floods in South Africa, there were no drums. No staged crowds. No rented cheers. Just presence, silence, and action. When Prime Minister Modi went to the site of a crash, no one lined up to welcome him. He came, he mourned, he acted. That is what leadership looks like in moments of pain.
“We must ask ourselves: What kind of people have we become?” the former Anambra governor queried.
Calling for an end to the culture of impunity, Obi said Nigeria is bleeding even when the nation is not at war.
“Enough of this culture of impunity. We are not at war yet our nation is bleeding, and we are clapping. It is not only insensitive, it is dangerous.
“Let us not forget: These were human beings, children, mothers, fathers whose blood cries out for justice.
“When very sad incidents like this turn to campaign or festival, our Nation Losing Its Soul,” he added.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
