Obi challenges Tinubu to take road tours of states
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to take out 72 days in 2025 to visit each state for two days to understand the negative impact of his government policies on Nigerians.
Obi noted with dismay that the president had spent 180 days abroad, approximately 30% of his 580 days in office as at January 2, yet has not had time to visit most of the states in the country.
Obi threw the challenge during a media chat on Thursday in Abuja on the state of the nation.
“Mr. President, out of the approximately 580 days (as at December 29, 2024) you have been in office, it is reported that you have spent over 30%, or around 180 days, on more than 30 publicly recorded overseas trips. My appeal is that you dedicate at least 20% of 2025, roughly 72 days, to visit each of Nigeria’s 36 states for two days each.
“As President, such visits would give you the opportunity to better understand the dire economic and security situations across the country.
“Furthermore, it is time for you to visit our national hospitals. Consider, for example, that your next medical examination be conducted at one of our National Hospitals or Regional Federal Medical Centres, such as the FMC in Sokoto or Birnin Kebbi or Calabar or Umuahia or Akure, among others,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State Governor said that this would allow the President to assess the state of healthcare facilities available to Nigerians and the condition of the health facilities, for appropriate intervention.
Obi also challenged president Tinubu to travel by road so as to experience the state of road infrastructure in the country.
“Endeavour to travel by road to observe the condition of most highways. You can take short trips, for example, from Calabar in Cross River State to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, a distance of less than 100km, or from Benin in Edo State to Warri in Delta State,” he said.
The opposition leader recalled taking former President Olusegun Obasanjo on a trip from Awka to Onitsha on a federal highway when he was the Governor of Anambra State, saying that the journey prompted Obasanjo to immediately approve the reconstruction of parts of the road by the Anambra State government, with subsequent reimbursement by the federal government.
He also urged President Tinubu to make both impromptu and planned visits to the nation’s tertiary institutions, to familiarise himself with the available infrastructure, facilities, and amenities.
“As Commander-in-Chief, visit our military formations and security agencies, especially during their field operations, and provide them with morale-boosting assurances and support for operational efficiency. Reiterate that they and their families will always be taken care of.
“Mr. President, many Nigerians are ‘refugees’ and ‘exiles’ in their own country. Visit various IDP camps and assure these Nigerians that they will soon return to their communities, and that you are working hard to restore peace and normalcy to the country. Nigeria is not a war-torn nation. The proliferation of IDP camps is a troubling sign.”
He charged President Tinubu to be aggressive in combating corruption.
“The focus should be on eliminating current and future official malfeasance through increased transparency and accountability in public procurement and contract award processes, as well as thorough monitoring of execution to ensure that limited resources are efficiently utilized and applied productively.
“All future borrowing must be tied to regenerative investments and visible, productive assets that benefit the nation.
“This will ensure both productivity and the ability to service and amortise such loans, rather than continuing the current practice of accumulating massive debt with no tangible returns, which places undue strain on future development and revenue,” he said.
Obi insisted that Nigerians need to hear directly from President Tinubu, not through his proxies, and that a quarterly update on what he is doing to improve the situation in Nigeria is crucial.
