Obi to Tinubu: Visit Niger flood victims, not just Benue; all lives matter

Peter Obi, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has welcomed President Bola Tinubu’s decision to visit Benue State following the massacre of dozens of people, but called on him to extend the same gesture to Niger State, which recently experienced devastating floods that also claimed hundreds of lives.

Earlier on Monday, Obi slammed Tinubu for failing to visit Benue and Niger States. The president later announced plan to visit Benue, where dozens of people have been massacred, on Wednesday.

Obi, in a statement on Tuesday, said while Tinubu’s planned visit to Benue is a “refreshing” development for a “bewildered nation,” the same urgency and empathy should be shown to Niger communities like Mokwa, where more than 200 people were confirmed dead and over 1,000 remain missing due to floods.

“For this I thank him even as I make further request that similar gesture should be extended to Niger State that lost more number of human lives in a natural disaster, flood recently,” Obi said.

The opposition leader stressed that in times of national tragedies, the President’s physical presence is critical to lifting grieving communities and reassuring citizens of responsive leadership.

“The presence of the President in these devastated and grieving communities will be very reassuring and uplifting,” he stated.

Read also: Nigeria needs a leader that can confront insecurity, Obi insists

The former Anambra governor criticised the delay in the visits, describing them as lacking urgency. “Given the emergency nature of these incidents, a prompt visit would have delivered the urgency needed, instead of giving future dates that make it look like a state visit,” he said.

Obi pointed out that both Benue and Niger states have recorded over 200 deaths in recent weeks, urging the President to show that all lives matter regardless of geography.

“These are not just statistics; they are the lives of Nigerian families torn apart and their communities destroyed,” he added.

Drawing comparisons with other nations, Obi referenced South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who recently travelled nearly 1,870 kilometres round trip from Pretoria to Mthatha to visit victims of a flood disaster that claimed less than 100 lives.

“The distance from Abuja to these affected areas is not far. Abuja to Makurdi is about 282 km and Abuja to Mokwa is about 287 km. Combined, that’s roughly 1,134 km for a round trip to both locations,” Obi explained.

“If the South African President could do it, we trust that you, as our own President, can do the same for your people.”

Obi urged Tinubu to let his visit to Mokwa “send a strong message, that all Nigerian lives matter, and that no community, no matter how rural, is forgotten.”

Read also: “Leadership without empathy,” Obi slams Tinubu over Benue crisis, Niger flood

He also called for increased efforts to improve national security, particularly in vulnerable, disaster-prone areas.

“We look forward to seeing not leadership by remote control but proactive leadership that responds not just with words, but with compassion and action,” Obi concluded.