Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s planned trip to Saint Lucia, calling it poorly timed and insensitive given Nigeria’s deepening economic hardship and worsening security crisis.
Tinubu depart Nigeria on Saturday, June 28, for Saint Lucia, before proceeding to Brazil for the upcoming BRICS summit.
In a post shared on X, Obi expressed shock over the president’s travel plans, questioning the government’s priorities at a time when many Nigerians are struggling to survive.
“What I have seen and witnessed in the last two years has left me in shock—poor governance, energy channelled into politics and elite interests, while the masses languish in want,” Obi wrote.
He decried the country’s alarming security situation, noting that in the past two years Nigeria has lost more people to violence and criminality than some countries officially at war.
“Nigeria ranks among the most insecure places in the world. Nigerians are hungrier, and most people don’t know where their next meal will come from,” he said.
Obi said he was stunned to learn Tinubu would be travelling to Saint Lucia, especially after what he described as a recent “holiday” in Lagos.
“With such a grim picture of our country, you can imagine my bewilderment when I saw a news release from the Presidency announcing that President Bola Tinubu is departing Nigeria today for a visit to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean,” Obi wrote.
Citing Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, Obi pointed out that the trip includes both official engagements and personal vacation days.
“According to the Prime Minister, ‘two of these days, June 30 and July 1, will be dedicated to an official visit, with the rest set aside as a personal vacation,’” he noted.
Obi said he initially doubted the report. “I told the person who brought it to my attention that it couldn’t be true. I didn’t want to believe anyone in authority especially the President would contemplate a leisure trip at this time.”
He also criticised Tinubu for failing to visit places like Minna, Niger State, where flooding reportedly killed over 200 people and left hundreds missing.
“This is a President going for leisure when he couldn’t visit Minna, where over two hundred lives were lost,” Obi said.
No, Mr President, this is not the Time for Holidaying.
Dear Nigerians, I am struggling with my senses to understand what is happening to governance in this country.
What I have seen and witnessed in the last two years has left me in shock about poor governance delivery and…
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) June 28, 2025
Obi further described Tinubu’s recent visit to Makurdi, Benue State—after public pressure over killings there as more of a “political jamboree” than a condolence trip, noting that children were made to line up to receive him while he never visited the actual scene of the attacks.
He compared Nigeria’s troubled cities with Saint Lucia, highlighting the contrast: “Makurdi covers 937.4 km², which is 59% bigger than Saint Lucia’s 617 km². Minna, at 6,789 km², is ten times larger. Saint Lucia’s population of 180,000 is less than half of Makurdi’s 489,839, while Minna’s 532,000 is nearly three times that.”
Obi concluded by stressing the need for leadership anchored in empathy.
“I don’t think the situation in this country today calls for leisure by anyone in authority, especially the President. This regime has repeatedly shown its insensitivity and lack of passion for the populace.”
He urged Tinubu to focus on the plight of ordinary Nigerians. “This obvious indifference to the suffering of the poor should be urgently reversed. One would expect the President to be asking God for more hours in a day to tackle Nigeria’s challenges, but instead, energy is being spent on 2027 election plans and satisfying the wealthy while the mass poor continue to multiply.”
