“A Country of Titles and Honours, Not Functioning”
Former presidential candidate Peter Obi unleashed a scathing rebuke of President Bola Tinubu’s eight‑day state visit to St Lucia (28 June–4 July 2025), decrying it as a grotesque spectacle of “personal honours and titles” while Nigerians bleed at home.
Obi argued that, as Tinubu collected accolades in the Caribbean and prepared for the BRICS summit, Nigeria was reeling under unchecked violence, paralysed schools and unpaid teachers—symptoms, he said, of a “nation in pain” overseen by a leadership in denial.
Insecurity Unabated as 37 Die in Yobe
Obi’s warning that “today, at least 37 people were killed in Yobe State” refers to a June 2024 Boko Haram attack on Mafa ward, where gunmen on motorcycles slaughtered villagers and razed homes, leaving the death toll—and villagers’ trauma—still uncertain.
Yet the massacres persist: a June 21st suicide bombing in Borno State killed 10 and injured several more, underscoring the government’s failure to curtail extremist violence.
Humanitarian data reveal that over 10,217 Nigerians have been killed by armed attacks in the two years since Tinubu took office—a tally eclipsing civilian fatalities in Ukraine’s war over a similar period, as UN offices record 968 deaths between December 2024 and May 2025.
Schools Shut as Teachers Go Unpaid for Years
Obi lamented that “children cannot go to school because some of the teachers have not been paid for almost three years,” echoing protests by educators who claim they have received no salary since 2021.
These teachers—many employed in 2018–2020—took loans to survive, only to see classrooms closed for more than 90 days as the strike drags into its fourth month.
In Abuja, primary school teachers joined student demonstrations, demanding salary arrears be cleared and schools reopened, yet the Presidency remains silent on concrete remedies.
“Nigeria Is Bleeding” While Tinubu Tours Abroad
Obi pointedly contrasted Tinubu’s absence from crisis zones with his global itinerary.
Since departing Abuja on 28 June, the President has only made a brief side‑trip to Katsina for a wedding and has not slept overnight in any of the nation’s conflict‑ridden states—Niger, Taraba, Plateau—despite them enduring daily bloodshed.
Meanwhile, floods in Mokwa, Niger State, killed over 206 people in late May, and at least 200 Nigerians perished in various crisis‑related incidents since Tinubu set foot in St Lucia—a figure even Obi’s handlers admit is difficult to verify.
No Tangible Deals Signed in St Lucia
The Presidency defends the state visit on grounds of “cultural ties and economic gains,” and notes that Tinubu will proceed on to the 17th BRICS Summit in Brazil.
Yet observers note that, four days into his stay, no bilateral agreements or memoranda of understanding that could spur Nigerian development have been announced—only the bestowal of a personal honour by St Lucia’s Governor‑General.
BRICS Summit: A Summit of Absences
Obi’s critique extends to the BRICS justification.
The Rio de Janeiro gathering (6–7 July) will proceed without the attendance of China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin—both skipping for scheduling conflicts and ICC‑related travel concerns, respectively.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend but only as part of an extensive five‑nation tour (2–9 July), juggling parliamentary addresses in Ghana and Trinidad & Tobago alongside the summit.
Fact‑Check: Comparisons with Russia–Ukraine War
Obi’s stark claim—that Nigeria is “losing more innocent civilians than Russia, a country at war”—warrants scrutiny. UN figures record over 13,300 Ukrainian civilian deaths since February 2022, with 968 killed in the past six months alone—numbers that exceed Nigeria’s crisis toll.
Thus, while Nigeria’s security emergency is dire, it does not yet surpass the human cost of Europe’s largest land war since World War II.
A Leadership in Denial
Obi concludes that “no vacation, no summit…is more important than the lives of the Nigerian people.”
His blistering critique underscores a broader failure: a government that confers titles offshore while neglecting the basic services—security, education, healthcare—that underpin a functioning state.
As Nigeria’s humanitarian crisis deepens, Obi’s demand is simple: return home, confront the bloodshed, reopen schools and pay teachers.
Only then can Nigeria’s bleeding be staunched—and its citizens begin to heal.
