Rising disquiet over simultaneous absence of Tinubu, Shettima from Nigeria

There has been rising disquiet across the country over the simultaneous absence of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima at a time of hardship and social malaise plaguing citizens.

The rising disquiet culminated into the Presidency issuing a statement that there is no vacancy in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, despite the simultaneous  absence of the president and the vice president.

President Bola Tinubu is still in France 14 days after jetting out of Nigeria, while vice President Kashim Shettima flew out of the country to Sweden on a 2-day working visit.

READ ALSO: Lagos Government begins Judicial Inquiry into death of Journalist Pelumi Onifade

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, on Friday, joined other stakeholders in the country in expressing concerns on the simultaneous absence of President Tinubu and the vice president.

Obi asserted that @PeterObi “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.”

Obi decries simultaneous absence of Tinubu, Shettima

Obi recalled “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.”

The LP 2023 presidential candidate maintained that 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.

READ ALSO: EFCC presents more witness against Defendant in N19m fraud allegation

Advertisement

Obi decried: “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.”

Obi argued that 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.

READ ALSO: TUC commends Sanwo-Olu on N85,000 minimum wage for Lagos workers

“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,”Obi declared.

Obi advocated that 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.

“A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO,” he assured.