Tinubu Spent 180 Of His 580 Days In Office Abroad – Obi

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the general elections of 2023, has expressed concern about President Bola Tinubu’s frequent travels abroad, claiming that the President traveled abroad more than 30 times during his tenure in office, or more than 180 of 580 days as of December 29, 2024.

During a press conference on Thursday, January 2, in Abuja, Obi asked President Tinubu to focus more on domestic matters in 2025, which should include visiting Nigeria’s 36 states for at least 20% of the year.

“Mr President, out of the approximately 580 days (as of 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.”

Obi shared a story about taking former President Olusegun Obasanjo on a road trip in Anambra State, which resulted in prompt action on road repairs, and he underlined the significance of firsthand assessments of the country’s infrastructure, recommending that Tinubu hold medical examinations at national hospitals and travel by road to observe the state of the highways.

“Consider, for example, that your next medical examination be conducted at one of our National Hospitals or Regional Federal Medical Centres,” he said. “Endeavour to travel by road to observe the condition of most highways. You can take short trips, for example, from Calabar to Uyo or Benin to Warri.”

Obi also urged Tinubu to tour military installations, tertiary institutions, and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in order to better understand the difficulties that Nigerians confront.

“Visit various IDP camps and assure these Nigerians that they will soon return to their communities. Nigeria is not a war-torn nation. The proliferation of IDP camps is a troubling sign,” he said.

He encouraged the President to emphasize anti-corruption efforts, ensure transparency in public procurement, and link future borrowing to regenerative investments. “All future borrowing must be tied to regenerative investments and visible, productive assets that benefit the nation,” according to Obi.

Highlighting the importance of direct communication, Obi insisted that Nigerians need to hear from President Tinubu himself through regular updates. “A quarterly update on what he is doing to improve the situation in Nigeria is crucial,” he said.

Obi’s words come against the backdrop of news that the Tinubu administration spent ₦2.3 billion on international visits and related expenses within six months of 2024, according to statistics from GovSpend. Since taking office, Tinubu has traveled to 16 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates.

Obi emphasized in his closing remarks the necessity of unselfish and admirable leadership in order to tackle Nigeria’s urgent issues in 2025.