Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed concern over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s prolonged absence from Nigeria amid important national challenges.
Obi made the remarks in a post about X, highlighting that the president spent 196 days overseas in 2025 alone.
His comments came amid growing public concern over worsening poverty, security and unemployment across the country.
what he said
Peter Obi criticized President Tinubu for being largely absent and unable to communicate with Nigerians since December 2025, even as the country faces extreme poverty, high youth unemployment, food insecurity and worsening infant mortality rates.
“Where has our president been in the midst of all this turmoil? At a time when we are facing a grave crisis, he has spent 196 more days abroad than at home in 2025 alone.
“Nigerians have not heard a word from the President since December 2025. Reports suggest that the President has opted for a vacation in Europe as the nation enters a new year marked by hunger, fear and uncertainty,” he said.
He expressed concern that Nigerians were being left without guidance and reassurance, saying Nigerians had the right to understand the current situation in their country, especially in times of national crisis.
He said the president cannot treat the nation as a private company and must show up to help rebuild the country through unity and clarity.
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Obi also criticized the president for letting Nigerians learn about major security events and vague statements from his aides from foreign media, saying true leadership requires direct engagement with the people.
“In Nigeria, the president remained silent after the United States military attack on our homeland. Instead of directly addressing the nation, Nigerians learned about these momentous events from foreign media, American officials, and vague communications from presidential aides known for their propaganda rather than from their own leaders.”
“This is not governance, it’s inaction. The president was absent from his home country when he needed it most, then reappeared overseas for a summit. Earlier this year, he even sent AI-generated images to the people instead of addressing them face-to-face,” he said.
Obi stressed that Nigerians do not expect perfection, but expect the president to be present and communicate directly with the people.
He warned that the absence of strong and visible leadership undermines national unity and makes it difficult to effectively implement policies, reforms and economic plans.
What you need to know
Nigeria continues to face widespread insecurity, affecting schools, communities, and places of worship, and raising public concerns about safety and protection of the population.
In late 2025, armed groups carried out the country’s largest school kidnapping in years, abducting more than 300 children and more than a dozen teachers from a Catholic boarding school in Niger state. It was one of the worst mass kidnappings since the Chibok girls incident, and many of the students were released after weeks of anxiety.
Earlier, a kidnapping incident also occurred at a secondary school in Kebbi State, where gunmen attacked a dormitory, killed the vice principal, and took away more than 20 female students. Extensive security operations are underway in the area. Churches and worshipers have not been spared as armed attackers target religious services in central Nigeria, killing worshipers and kidnapping pastors and members in disturbing attacks. Nigeria’s kidnapping-for-ransom crisis has cost criminal groups at least NOK 2.57 billion between July 2024 and June 2025, with kidnappers demanding an estimated compensation of NOK 48 billion annually, Nairametrics reports.
