Tinubu Absent as Nigeria Grapples with Crisis – Peter Obi Calls for Leadership and Accountability

By: Abudu Olalekan

Tinubu absent during Nigeria’s worst crisis as Peter Obi criticizes President’s 196 days abroad and silence on critical national issues.

Peter Obi is asking questions. Hard ones. And honestly, many Nigerians are probably asking the same thing.

Where is the President?

The former Labour Party presidential candidate took to X on Monday to call out President Bola Tinubu. His message was direct. Almost blunt. He accused the President of being nowhere to be found while Nigeria burns.

Let’s look at the numbers Obi presented. They’re not pretty.

By the end of this year, Nigeria is projected to have about 140 million people living in extreme poverty. That’s the highest figure in the entire world. We’re not talking about being in the top ten or top five. We’re talking number one. The worst position to hold.

But that’s not all. The country is battling one of the hungriest populations globally. Insecurity keeps getting worse. Over 80 million young people are unemployed. And infant mortality rates? Nigeria ranks among the worst places in the world to be born. A child born here has lower survival chances than in countries seven times smaller than ours.

In the middle of all this chaos, Obi says President Tinubu spent 196 days outside Nigeria in 2025 alone. Let that sink in. More than half the year. Abroad. While his country struggled.

The former Anambra State governor didn’t stop there. He pointed out that since December 2025, Nigerians haven’t heard directly from their President. No address. No national broadcast. Nothing. Reports suggested Tinubu was holidaying somewhere in Europe while citizens entered the New Year hungry, anxious and uncertain about what lay ahead.

“This is not governance; it’s neglect,” Obi wrote.

He raised another troubling issue. Remember when U.S. military strikes reportedly happened on Nigerian soil? Obi claims Nigerians learned about it from foreign media first. American officials talked about it before our own government did. When explanations finally came, they came from presidential aides. Not the President himself. Just press releases and what Obi described as “vague communications” and “propaganda.”

That stung.

Obi argued that this is not how leaders in other developing nations behave. When crisis hits, they show up. They speak directly to their people. They provide reassurance. In Nigeria? Silence.

He also took a jab at something that happened earlier in the year. Apparently, the President sent an AI-generated image to Nigerians instead of addressing them face-to-face. That’s a strange thing to do. Very strange.

“Are we to believe Nigeria is being governed, or is it merely being managed from elsewhere?” Obi asked.

His frustration was clear. Leadership, he emphasized, is not about issuing press releases from far away. It’s about standing before your people. Engaging with them. Offering clarity when things are confusing and hope when things look bleak.

Obi made it clear he wasn’t asking for perfection. Nobody expects a perfect President. But presence? That’s non-negotiable.

“We demand presence,” he stated. “Nigerians are eager to hear from their President through direct media briefings. They deserve to understand the state of their country.”

He also warned that you cannot run Nigeria like its a personal business or private club. The country needs unity. It needs consensus. And that starts with leadership setting the right tone.

According to Obi, no policy will work in a divided nation. No reform will succeed. No economic plan or security measure can thrive when citizens don’t trust their leaders. And when leadership withdraws, he said, unity crumbles. The fabric of society begins to tear apart.

“In a time of crisis, the absence of leadership is not just troubling; it is perilous,” Obi wrote. “Silence in the face of crisis is the loudest form of failure.”

Strong words from a man who clearly believes Nigeria deserves better.

He ended his statement with his signature line. “A New Nigeria is not just POssible; it is essential.”

The capitalisation of “PO” at the end was intentional. His initials. His brand. His hope for a different kind of country.

Whether you agree with Peter Obi or not, his questions are valid. Nigerians are struggling. They’re hungry. They’re scared. They’re unemployed. And many feel abandoned.

The ball is now in the President’s court. Will he respond? Will he show up? Or will the silence continue?

Only time will tell.