Obi reacts as Tinubu’s first Benue visit faces test of security, and public trust

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected in Benue State on Wednesday in what the Presidency calls a solidarity visit after gunmen killed more than 200 villagers this month. The long-awaited trip follows weeks of public outrage and fierce criticism from opposition figures.

Labour Party leader and former Anambra governor Peter Obi, who had lambasted the President for “deafening silence” over the carnage, welcomed the announcement on Tuesday but said the gesture is coming “far too late for grieving families.”

In a statement, Obi argued that the first citizen’s physical presence in traumatised communities, not future scheduling, is what Nigerians deserve during emergencies.

“Prompt visits convey urgency,” he said. “Announcing a date makes it look like a routine state tour.”

READ ALSO: Benue Killings: Bobrisky calls out Senators as ‘shameless’

Obi noted that Abuja is only 282 km from Makurdi, the Benue capital, and 287 km from Mokwa in Niger State, which last week lost more than 200 residents to devastating floods while over 1,000 people remain missing.

Citing international precedent, Obi pointed to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent 1,870-km round-trip from Pretoria to Mthatha to condole with flood victims where fewer than 100 deaths were recorded. “If Ramaphosa can do that, our own President surely can travel a shorter distance to stand with Nigerians,” he said.

The former governor urged Tinubu to extend the same compassion to flood-ravaged Niger communities, warning that selective consolation risks deepening perceptions of neglect. “Let your visit to Mokwa send a strong message that every Nigerian life matters,” he added.

EXPLORE: Gov Alia gives fresh update on Benue killings

Beyond optics, Obi pressed for tougher security and disaster-response measures, arguing that the persistence of mass killings and climate-driven disasters exposes “leadership by remote control.”

He called on the federal government to deploy more troops to vulnerable rural areas and to accelerate relief funds for displaced families. He also proposed a federally coordinated insurance scheme for farmers who lose crops and livestock to conflict or floods.

Presidential aides insist Wednesday’s visit will “affirm the administration’s commitment to the safety of all Nigerians.” Yet civil society groups say only sustained action—safer farming corridors, early-warning flood systems and swift compensation—will demonstrate that commitment long after the cameras leave.