It was a welcome development on Monday as Nigerians received the news that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has finally agreed to visit Benue State, the scene of recent brutal killings. Reacting to this, Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi expressed gratitude but urged the President to extend the same gesture to Niger State, which recently suffered a devastating flood.
Obi emphasized that over 200 lives were lost in Mokwa alone, with more than 1,000 still missing. He noted that both Benue and Niger States have lost more than 200 lives each due to recent tragedies, making a presidential visit not just appropriate but urgent.
He criticized the delay in such visits, saying they should not feel like scheduled state events but emergency responses that convey urgency and empathy. “The presence of the President in these devastated and grieving communities will be very reassuring and uplifting,” he said.
Highlighting the short distance from Abuja to both locations—about 282 km to Makurdi and 287 km to Mokwa—Obi compared it to the recent visit by South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, who travelled nearly 1,870 km round trip to Mthatha to console flood victims, despite fewer casualties.
“If the South African President could do it, we trust that you, as our own President, can do the same for your people,” Obi stated.
He concluded by calling for improved security in disaster-prone areas and a leadership style that is not remote-controlled, but responsive, compassionate, and action-driven.
“A new Nigeria is possible,” he affirmed.
