Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has urged President Bola Tinubu to extend his planned visit to Benue State to Niger State, which recently suffered a devastating flood that left over 200 people dead and more than 1,000 missing.
Obi made the call on Tuesday, June 17, via a statement on his official X handle, describing Tinubu’s decision to visit Benue as “refreshing news” for a “bewildered nation.”
“For this I thank him,” Obi said, “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.”
While acknowledging the President’s move, Obi criticised the delayed response, saying a prompt visit would have shown true urgency.
“Given the emergency nature of these incidents, a prompt visit would have delivered the urgency needed, instead of giving future dates that makes it look like a state visit,” he wrote.
He stressed that presidential presence in both Benue and Niger would uplift grieving communities, noting the death tolls in both states were well over 200.
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“These are not just statistics; they are the lives of Nigerian families torn apart and their communities destroyed,” Obi said.
Highlighting the proximity of the affected areas to the capital, Obi reminded Tinubu that the distances were manageable.
“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,” he pointed out, comparing it to a recent trip by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa recently made some days ago from Pretoria to Mthatha to personally visit flood victims in his country… Less than 100 persons died in Mthatha, and more than 200 died in Mokwa, with over 1000 still missing.”
Obi concluded by urging Tinubu to act with urgency and compassion, not delay.
“Let your visit to Mokwa send a strong message, that all Nigerian lives matter, and that no community, no matter how rural, is forgotten.
“We look forward to seeing not leadership by remote control but proactive leadership that responds not just with words, but with compassion and action,” he said.