A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ladan Salihu, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s prolonged stay in Europe, accusing him of leaving Nigeria on “auto pilot” while away from the country.
Salihu, a former Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), made the remarks on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.
He said Tinubu’s absence from Nigeria between August 30 and September 29 showed what he described as “contempt of leadership on the led.”
“President Bola Tinubu has clearly shown Nigerians that he prefers leading Nigeria on autopilot or leaving Nigeria on autopilot and staying more abroad to discuss with President Macron and being in London to what he called a working vacation.
“This is a classical contempt of leadership on the led. Through his absence from August 30 to yesterday, September 29, we have not had a word, not even a video feed from the President,” Salihu said.
He also criticised the President over insecurity and other challenges recorded during his absence.
“During the President’s absence, Nigeria has undergone a lot of trauma, trauma of insecurity, killings of people,” he said, citing the reported killing of 37 miners in Niger State and alleged killings and kidnappings in Zamfara State.
Salihu said a president concerned about the welfare and security of Nigerians would have returned to the country to address the challenges.
“A president that has the interest of Nigerians at heart, the welfare and well-being and the security of the citizens as the core aspect of his leadership will easily have called off his trip, come back to Nigeria, address the myriad of political, economic and insecurity issues,” he said.
According to him, Tinubu’s prolonged stay abroad also raised questions about the President’s communication with Nigerians.
“When he travels abroad, and he stays this long, it shows contempt towards the citizens, contempt towards the very office of leadership in the land and he is showing his lack of capacity and capability to run,” Salihu said.
He added that Tinubu should have addressed Nigerians directly while abroad, particularly following reports of deaths and insecurity in the country.
“If you are in London, Paris, give us a video feed to commiserate, to sympathise with Nigerians over the death of 37 citizens; we didn’t see that. We only saw people in the Villa, Bayo Onanuga, replying to Nigerians.
“Bayo Onanuga is not the President we want to hear from. President Bola Tinubu is who we want to hear from while and whenever he is abroad,” he said.
