By: Odeh Favour Adiya
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his latest three-week vacation in Europe, describing the trip as insensitive to the current economic crisis and insecurity facing the nation.
Obi expressed his concern in a statement posted on his official X handle on Monday night.
He lamented that the President’s overseas travel comes at a time when ordinary citizens are grappling with rising food prices, high transportation costs, and mounting security threats across several states.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has once again left Nigeria for another holiday, this time beginning a three-week vacation in Europe,” Obi said.
He noted that the country is currently undergoing severe socio-economic challenges that require the executive leader’s undivided attention.
“Nigeria is in deep crisis.
Nigerians can barely afford food and transportation. Insecurity is ravaging communities, and thousands of children are unable to access education because of insecurity. Just days ago, about 600 Nigerians, predominantly women, children, and the elderly, were reportedly abducted during Juma’at prayers in Niger State.
Yet, at this critical moment, the President has left the country for another holiday,” he stated.
The former Anambra State governor cited financial figures regarding foreign trips by the presidency, comparing presidential travel expenditures to allocations released to crucial public sectors like healthcare.
“According to reports, government expenditure on presidential trips and related travel expenses between June 2023 and April 2026 amounted to about ₦37.64 billion, with the President spending approximately 261 days outside Nigeria. Meanwhile, only ₦36 million was reportedly released to the Federal Ministry of Health in 2025, despite a capital allocation of ₦218 billion, in a country of over 230 million people,” Obi asserted.
Describing the financial disparity as a major governance misstep, Obi emphasized that public funds should be directed toward domestic priorities rather than frequent overseas trips.
“This is the calamity befalling our country today. A government that can spend tens of billions on presidential travel while critical sectors remain starved of funds, and Nigerians are asked to endure worsening hardship, must not be allowed to continue,” he declared.
The NDC flagbearer stressed that national leadership requires setting the right priorities during times of domestic distress.
“Leadership is about priorities. When citizens cannot feed their families, move safely, access healthcare, send their children to school, or sleep peacefully in their homes, the President should be more concerned about fixing the country than repeatedly leaving it,” he stated.
Advocating for domestic tourism and local patronage by government officials, Obi suggested that Nigerian leaders should spend their vacations within the country to stimulate local economies.
“I look forward to a Nigeria where our President can vacation in Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Cross River State, Bauchi, Ebonyi, and many other destinations across our country. The President of Nigeria should be the chief marketer of Nigeria as a tourism destination, as other comparable countries do,” he noted.
He further highlighted the economic benefits that promoting local travel and domestic assets would bring to small businesses and local communities.
“Imagine the economic possibilities if our leaders, celebrities, business communities, and citizens travelled within Nigeria more frequently. Tourism creates jobs. It supports hospitality, transportation, agriculture, entertainment, crafts, and small businesses. It brings investment and foreign exchange and allows communities to benefit directly from their natural and cultural assets,” Obi explained.
Obi urged leaders to prioritize internal growth and nation-building over external luxuries.
“We cannot continue to export our wealth and import our pleasures while our own enormous potential remains neglected.
We deserve leadership that puts Nigeria first; leadership that cares and plans for a better Nigeria. That is the kind of leadership that the partnership between H.E. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and me will bring,” Obi concluded.
