In scathing and venomous condemnation, presidential aspirant Peter Obi condemned President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Benue State as a horror charade that devalued the spirit of more than 200 Nigerians killed in the state.
Obi was only disappointed that what would otherwise have been a somber moment of national grief had been politicized into a charade of trumpets, umbrellas, and choreographed schoolchildren singing rain.
Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate was never bashful about expressing his shock. Obi questioned the country’s humanity and moral fibre in a biting tweet on his social media handles. In his view, the President’s trip to Benue could have been a display of leadership and compassion, particularly in the background of the gruesome massacre and the crippling floods that also destroyed Niger State and claimed the lives of dozens of its citizens.
“What has happened to our compassion as a people?” Obi asked. We begged for leadership, and what we got was a display more suitable for the commissioning of a highway than for consoling grieving families.” The Enugu-Makurdi expressway, which is an interstate highway, would have been worthy of praise if it had been completed at the correct time, but now was not the time, says Obi.
Instead of wearing mourning attire befitting a condolence visit, the President reportedly arrived wearing a flamboyant agbada, clad for celebration and completely out of tune with the tragedy that had just happened. More discordant yet, Obi claimed, was the response of the Benue State government. Instead of declaring a day of reflection and prayer, a public holiday was declared and used for hosting celebrations. Schools were closed down, not to permit grieving, but to mobilize kids, some of whom had lost classmates and friends, to cheer and entertain with choreographed rituals to greet the incoming dignitary.
Obi likened the display to a campaign rally, stating it was full of optics and not some authentic gesture of condolence or act. “We have reached a point where condolence visits have become carnivals,” he lamented. “Nigerians are burying loved ones, and yet we are clapping, dancing, and printing banners. This is not how a compassionate or civilized country behaves.”
He borrowed from global leaders such as South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both of whom, having experienced national mourning, embarked on subdued but dignified journeys that were not ceremonial in purpose but only committed to expressing sympathy and getting something done.
For Obi, the gap reminds him of how Nigeria is not able to grasp human existence. He calls on leaders and citizens to reflect upon what type of country they are creating: “We are not at war, yet our streets are red with blood—and instead of silence, we have celebration. This is not just insensitive; it is dangerously close to national moral collapse.”
Obi urged the redirection of energy and resources from political theatrics to actual humanitarian interventions—shelter, food, counseling, education, and justice for the victims. “When innocent blood cries out and we respond with cheers and parades, our nation is losing its soul,” he warned.
He concluded his remarks with a reminder that the dead were not statistics. They were children, parents, and breadwinners. “A new Nigeria is possible,” Obi said. But not if we continue to choose pageantry over purpose.”
This Obi-Wan Kenobi is not just a rebuke of a presidential trip; it’s a call to national awakening. At its core, it exhorts the government and the people to relearn humility, empathy, and respect for Nigerian lives.
