Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has extended appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for finally deciding to visit Benue State following the massacre of over 150 people by suspected assailants over the weekend.In a strongly worded statement posted on social media, Obi described the move as “refreshing news” for a nation deeply wounded by repeated tragedies, but urged the President not to stop at Benue. He called on Tinubu to also visit Niger State specifically Mokwa where over 200 lives were reportedly lost and more than 1,000 persons remain missing due to a recent flooding disaster.
“Given the emergency nature of these incidents, a prompt visit would have delivered the urgency needed, instead of giving future dates that makes it look like a state visit,” Obi stated.
He drew comparisons with President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, who recently embarked on a nearly 1,900 km round trip to Mthatha to visit flood victims despite the incident claiming fewer than 100 lives. According to Obi, the distance from Abuja to both Makurdi (Benue) and Mokwa (Niger) combined is far shorter and should not be an obstacle for the Nigerian President.
“These are not just statistics; they are the lives of Nigerian families torn apart and their communities destroyed,” he said. “If the South African President could do it, we trust that you, as our own President, can do the same for your people.”Obi emphasized that a visit to flood-ravaged Niger State would send a strong and needed message: that all Nigerian lives matter, and no community no matter how remote is forgotten.He also called on the President to step up security and disaster response efforts across the country, warning that true leadership must go beyond “remote control” and involve visible, compassionate action.
“We look forward to seeing not leadership by remote control but proactive leadership that responds not just with words, but with compassion and action,” Obi concluded.
