The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has frowned at President Bola Tinubu for “turning his condolence visit to Benue into a fanfare”.
Obi, in a post on Thursday on X, stated that the president’s choice of attire and the atmosphere surrounding his visit to Benue did not reflect the enormity of the tragedies that happened in Benue and Niger states.
“We pleaded that the president should show leadership and visit Benue and Niger states in the spirit of deep national mourning, to offer compassion and solidarity to families torn apart by the senseless massacre of over 200 innocent Nigerians in Benue state and flooding that killed similar number in Niger state,” Obi said.
“But what we saw in Benue visit was instead of a solemn, reflective visit, a display that would have been more befitting for the commissioning of the reconstructed Enugu-Makurdi highway, a critical road connecting South and Northern Nigeria, which had become impassable for years.”
According to the former Anambra governor, Tinubu’s attire, a traditional flowing garment called ‘agbada,’ was not appropriate for the event as it was a celebratory one.
“The president arrived not in mourning clothes but in celebratory agbada attire, like it was an occasion for joy,” he said.
Also, he slammed the Benue state government for announcing a public holiday as he stated that closing schools down “not for reflection or prayer, but to organise fanfare”.
“Children who should be mourning their slaughtered classmates and parents were instead lined up under the rain, rehearsed to sing and dance for the president,” he added.
“In what kind of country does this happen?”
He further disclosed that the entire event was a “charade”.
He said: “We have tragically arrived at a point where condolence visits have become carnivals,” he said.
“A time that should be marked by silence and solemnity is now polluted by banners, music, and rehearsed spectacles.
“Precious Nigerian lives have been lost, yet we’re clapping, singing, and organising processions, as though this were a campaign rally.”
According to him, the resources used for the visit of the president could be used for providing relief to some of the victims.
“The energy, resources, and logistics poured into this charade could have gone into food supplies, temporary shelters, medical aid, school support, and trauma counselling for grieving families. Instead, we chose optics over empathy,” he said.
He compared the conduct of President Tinubu on the day to how Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Narendra Modi of India behaved when tragedy struck in their communities.
“When President Ramaphosa visited Mthatha after the floods in South Africa, there were no drums. No staged crowds. No rented cheers. Just presence, silence, and action,” he said.
“When Prime Minister Modi went to the site of a crash, no one lined up to welcome him. He came, he mourned, he acted. That is what leadership looks like in moments of pain.”
According to him, Nigeria has become desensitised to mass killings, and he accused the government of lacking compassion.
“We are not at war yet our nation is bleeding, and we are clapping. It is not only insensitive, it is dangerous,” Obi added.
“Let us not forget: these were human beings, children, mothers, fathers whose blood cries out for justice.
“When very sad incidents like this turn to campaign or festival, our nation is losing its soul.”
