The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi has described as “Concerning”, the absence of both president Bola Tinubu and his Vice, Kashim Shettima
While saying that it’s arguable if there’s vacancy in the presidency, Obi maintained that such situation shouldn’t arise in “a country with such myriads of domestic problems.”
Adding that the time frame given by the president to return is over, the former Anambra governor wondered why his vice, Shettima would waste scarce resources traveling to Sweden when president Tinubu would have made a detour to attend the Sweden event on his way back.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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. 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.”
He added that this economic spending “does not represent the kind of fiscal responsibility and common sense that is expected of leaders whose people are facing severe hunger and poverty.
“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.”
