Peter Obi: President, Vice Out of Country Not Sign of Serious Govt

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

*Okupe disagrees, says even in war commanders go off duty

The Labour Party leader and the presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, yesterday, frowned at the exit of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima from the country at same time.

 But a former presidential spokesman and former Director General of Peter Obi’s Campaign in the 2023 elections, Dr. Doyin Okupe, in reaction described the impression that no one was in charge of the country with Tinubu and Shettima’s foreign trips as misleading.

Obi said such an attitude was not a sign of seriousness for a government facing myriads of domestic problems.

Spokesman to Obi, Ibrahim Umar, said the former Anambra State governor who wrote on his X noted that “While it is arguable that with the President and Vice President, there is no vacancy in the Presidency, in a situation where both the President and Vice President are out of the country, as reported in the media today, it’s concerning for a country with such myriads of domestic problems.

“The President had told us he would only be gone for 14 days. The 14 days have passed now, and we are waiting to see him in the country.

“One would have expected him to return earlier than expected, considering the volume of work that needs to be done in a troubled nation like ours. The untold hardship that has been unleashed on our people as a result of some of his administration’s policies is unimaginable and we need his urgent attention to pilot the nation out of this present situation.

“Again, since the President is reportedly in Paris, France, which is just about 833 nautical miles from Stockholm, Sweden, one wonders why he did not just attend the 2-day working visit to Sweden. He could simply have done it on his way back from France with his new powerful jet, which would have taken him a little over two hours.

”This would have saved time and the very scarce national resources we need critically at this time. Instead, he delegated the Vice President, who needed to travel 3055 nautical miles, over nine hours, and (about four times the travel time from Paris) Abuja, Nigeria, to Stockholm, Sweden, to represent him at the event. It would take about four times the time and distance it takes to travel from Paris to Stockholm to travel from Abuja to Stockholm.

 “This does not represent the kind of fiscal responsibility that is expected of leaders whose people are facing severe hunger and poverty.
“This is the time to show true and committed leadership to the people by making decisions that prioritise the well-being of the people and effectively managing the nation’s scarce resources in alleviating the sufferings of the people,” stated.

President Tinubu left the shores of Nigeria for a two-week annual leave, while the vice president is on an official visit to Sweden
 Meanwhile, Okupe, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos yesterday, said:

“Presidents and chief executives, globally, do take time off to rest for a little while. Even in war situations, field commanders go off duty to cool off from war theatres.

“The impression being given that there is no one in charge is false and preposterous. The President is head of government not government by himself.”
According to him, in the physical absence of the President, in these days of high tech, all arms of government- judiciary, legislative and even the executive, function 100 per cent.

Okupe added, “Whether the President is in Abuja, Kaura Namoda, Pankshin, Oguta, Ilesha, Yenagoa, London or Paris, all instruments of command and control are accessible and available to him 24/7.”

He said that the opposition’s plot to feast on the issue, “exposes their crass ignorance or presence of not appreciating the overriding influence of modern information management on contemporary governance.”

Okupe added that the coincidental and necessary temporary and brief trip of the Vice-President to Sweden, should not be a cause for concern.
Okupe said in the earlier republics, fear of military coups was the major basis for concern over the absence of both the President and his vice from the country at the same time.

“Policies are being implemented to the letter. Obviously there is no evidence of dereliction of duty or official irresponsibility. The truth is that elections are over and political gladiators should go back to the drawing board to restrategise for 2027,” Okupe said.