Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has applauded President Bola Tinubu’s decision to visit Benue State after recent mass killings but urged him to extend the same gesture to Niger State, where devastating floods have claimed over 200 lives.
The New Daily Prime earlier reported that Mr rescheduled his official visit to Kaduna State and decided to travel to Benue State on Wednesday as part of renewed efforts to foster peace and address the persistent conflict affecting communities in the state.
In a statement released on his X page Monday, Mr Obi described Mr Tinubu’s planned visit to Benue as ‘refreshing news to a bewildered nation’.
He stressed that a similar show of empathy is urgently needed in Mokwa, Niger State, where floods left more than 200 dead and over 1,000 people missing.
“Given the emergency nature of these incidents, a prompt visit would have conveyed the urgency required, rather than scheduling it for a later date, which makes it appear like a state visit,” he said.
He noted that the presence of the President in such grieving communities would be both reassuring and uplifting.
Mr Obi pointed out that the affected locations, Makurdi in Benue and Mokwa in Niger, are relatively close to the nation’s capital, Abuja, at approximately 282 km and 287 km respectively.
He contrasted this with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent 1,870 km round trip from Pretoria to Mthatha to visit victims of a flood that claimed fewer than 100 lives.
“If the South African President could do it, we trust that you, as our own President, can do the same for your people,” Mr Obi stated.
“Let your visit to Mokwa send a strong message that all Nigerian lives matter, and that no community, no matter how rural—is forgotten.”
He also called on the federal government to bolster security measures, particularly in areas prone to disasters, and emphasised the need for ‘proactive leadership that responds not just with words, but with compassion and action.’
