Fresh questions about leadership, accountability, and constitutional order have been raised following President Bola Tinubu’s decision to further extend his stay abroad and postpone his return to Nigeria, coupled with the recent departure of Vice President Kashim Shettima from the country at a time when Nigerians are battling serious economic and security challenges.
The development has left many Nigerians asking a critical question: if both the President and his Vice are out of the country at the same time, who is piloting the affairs of the nation? How can a country of over 200 million people be left without any top leadership physically on the ground? More worrisome are reports that between January and now, a whopping ₦37 billion has been expended on presidential travels abroad, said to have gulped not less than 20 percent of the annual budget.
Reacting to the development, Hon. Toyin Anibire Adams, a.k.a. Obailukan, Founder and Convener of Obailukan Strategic Support Group for Atiku (OSSAT), through his Media Executive, Comrade James Onifade, described the situation as unacceptable and constitutionally wrong.
In the statement released on his behalf, Obailukan said Nigeria cannot afford a prolonged leadership vacuum or confusion over who is truly in charge of government.
“If both the President and his Vice are out of the country at the same time, who is piloting the affairs of Nigeria? How can a nation of over 200 million people be left without any top leadership physically on the ground?” the statement queried.
“If such a humongous amount has been spent on foreign trips alone in the name of official trips and vacations, what is left to reform the economy and address the real challenges facing Nigerians? This pattern of extravagant spending and the simultaneous absence of both leaders cannot be treated as an ordinary matter,” it added.
According to Obailukan, the development gives the impression that President Tinubu now sees Nigeria and the Presidency as his personal estate, to be paddled as he wishes without regard for well-meaning citizens.
“This is self-serving governance that shows no love, concern, or empathy for the challenges of ordinary Nigerians,” he said.
Obailukan said it is time to rescue Nigeria from the cancerous party called the APC, which has mismanaged the affairs of the nation in the last eleven years. According to him, what the party has brought upon Nigerians is unprecedented hardship, galloping inflation, naira devaluation, fuel subsidy removal without cushion, rising debt, and worsening insecurity. He noted that in the last three years in particular, the much-touted Renewed Hope has turned into renewed hopelessness in the minds of citizens, as prices of food, transport, and basic survival have gone beyond the reach of the average family while the government continues in extravagance.
The OSSAT Convener warned that if this is how the administration governs in its first term, then something more disastrous awaits Nigerians if it is allowed a second term. He therefore urged well-meaning Nigerians not to be deceived again by sugar-coated promises, but to vote for a better future.
“Yes, a President can travel. But there comes a point when the prolonged and simultaneous absence of both the President and his Vice becomes inappropriate, irresponsible, and unconstitutional, especially when critical national issues demand visible, on-the-ground leadership. Nigerians deserve more than assurances that the President is monitoring events from abroad. They deserve leadership that is present, accountable, and responsive,” he stated.
“Come 2027, Nigeria needs a leader who understands the pain of the people and has the capacity to make the country work again. That leader is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He remains the only one with the experience, empathy, and economic blueprint to pull Nigeria out of this hardship. Nigeria is too important to be left wondering who is truly at the helm, and too important to be governed by telephone from abroad,” the statement concluded.
Signed:
Comrade James Onifade
Media Executive
For: Hon. Toyin Anibire Adams, a.k.a. Obailukan
Founder/Convener, Obailukan Strategic Support Group for Atiku (OSSAT)
