By Kolawole Ojebisi
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, and former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has asked President Bola Tinubu to alter his itinerary this year by spending more days in Nigeria instead of abroad.
Obi said spending more time at home will help Tinubu to acquaint himself with the dire reality of the economic conditions of Nigerians across the country.
The former governor of Anambra said this on Thursday during a press conference in Abuja. He faulted Tinubu’s frequent overseas travels, saying he spent over 30% or about 180 days abroad, covering over 30 publicly recorded overseas trips.
The LP chieftain, therefore, called on the President to spend at least 72 days visiting each of Nigeria’s 36 states for two days each.
He added, “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.
“As President, such visits would give you the opportunity to better understand the dire economic and security situations across the country. Furthermore, it is time for you to visit our national hospitals. Consider, for example, that your next medical examination be conducted at one of our National Hospitals or Regional Federal Medical Centres, such as the FMC in Sokoto or Birnin Kebbi or Calabar or Umuahia or Akure, among others.”
Obi also has asked Tinubu to pay attention to combating corruption in the public service.
He advised the president to eliminate corruption through increased transparency and accountability in public procurement and contract award processes.
“The focus should be on eliminating current and future official malfeasance through increased transparency and accountability in public procurement and contract award processes, as well as thorough monitoring of execution to ensure that limited resources are efficiently utilized and applied productively.
“All future borrowing must be tied to regenerative investments and visible, productive assets that benefit the nation. This will ensure both productivity and the ability to service and amortize such loans, rather than continuing the current practice of accumulating massive debt with no tangible returns, which places undue strain on future development revenue,” he said.
