By Obinna Uballa
A former presidential aide, Laolu Akande, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for travelling to the United Kingdom shortly after deadly bombings in Maiduguri, Borno State, while ex-Foreign Affairs Minister Bolaji Akinyemi has defended the trip as necessary.
Akande, speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources, said the President’s departure for London hours after the attacks – which reportedly left at least 23 people dead and over 100 injured – raised concerns about leadership empathy and public reassurance.
“Even if President Bola Tinubu couldn’t reschedule his date with the British Royals at a time terrorists were killing Nigerians, couldn’t he have done something that would represent reassurance to the people of Borno and Nigerians before leaving Abuja?” he asked.
He suggested that the President could have made a brief stop in Maiduguri or, at minimum, addressed the nation directly to convey sympathy and solidarity.
“Couldn’t he have done a quick stopover in Maiduguri before going to London? Or at the barest minimum, leave his voice in a direct personal message showing empathy for the pain and destruction?” Akande added.
While acknowledging Tinubu’s directive for service chiefs to relocate to Borno in response to the attack, Akande argued that symbolic leadership actions remain critical during national tragedies.
“We seem to have become desensitised… It appears we are getting used to the recurrent series of death and destruction from terrorists and bandits,” he said, warning that the optics of the trip could send the wrong message both locally and internationally.
He further noted that images of official engagements and ceremonies in London contrasted sharply with the violence at home, raising questions about government priorities.
However, Akinyemi offered a different perspective, insisting that the President’s state visit, undertaken at the invitation of King Charles III, could not have been altered at short notice.
Speaking on Arise TV earlier on Friday, the former minister said state visits are complex diplomatic engagements that cannot be easily rescheduled due to unforeseen events.
“When you see the show that was put on, do you think that could have been amended at the last minute because of what happened in Maiduguri?” he said.
Akinyemi acknowledged the gravity of the attacks, describing them as a “disaster” for Nigeria’s image, but maintained that such incidents do not typically halt major international commitments.
“Disasters happen, but state events go on. You don’t change such arrangements at the last minute, especially with countries like Britain or the United States,” he added.
He also praised the reception hosted by King Charles III, noting that it signalled Nigeria’s importance on the global stage and could enhance the country’s international standing.
Tinubu’s two-day state visit, which ended on Thursday, marked one of the highest levels of diplomatic engagement between Nigeria and the United Kingdom in decades, and the first of such scale by a Nigerian leader in 37 years.
The trip has, however, drawn criticism from opposition figures and some public commentators, who argue that the President’s frequent foreign travels come amid worsening insecurity and economic challenges at home.
