In his reaction to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s trips to Benue and Plateau States, Peter Obi, said, “leadership without compassion is not leadership”.
The President had earlier announced a postponement to his trip to Ogun State to visit Plateau State and condole with families who have lost loved one in attacks on Palm Sunday in Jos, however, Tinubu’s “engagement ended at the airport instead of at the affected communities”.
The former Governor of Anambra State recalled on X that, the President also failed to visit the communities in Benue State where “innocent” Nigerians were killed, but, decided to end his visit at the Government House.
Obi described what transpired on Thursday in Jos as a “complete absence of leadership”, saying, a “true” leader must be present where people feel pain.
Reacting to the President’s trip to Jos on Friday, Obi said: “During his visit to Benue State in June 2025, Bola Ahmed Tinubu stopped at the Government House but did not go to the actual scene where innocent Nigerians lost their lives. Similarly, yesterday in Jos, his engagement ended at the airport instead of at the affected communities.
“What happened in Plateau yesterday highlights a complete absence of leadership. True leadership requires presence, empathy, compassion, and a willingness to meet people where their pain truly lies.
“For citizens who have just lost loved ones, homes, and their sense of safety, being addressed from an airport tarmac is profoundly inadequate.”
The ADC member said, the President’s action reveals a “sense of abandonment already felt by innocent Nigerians who have endured repeated cycles of violence without meaningful protection or justice.”
He believes, the North Central State “deserves more than distant words;” he said, “it requires urgent action and a clear commitment to ending the insecurity that continues to claim innocent lives”.
Obi also believes, a compassionate leader “must stand with the victims”; he said, Nigeria needs a leader that is “responsible at all times”.
Obi reacted: “In such moments, leadership must not only be visible but also tangible—standing with victims, listening to survivors, and acknowledging the depth of their grief.
“If we truly desire a better Nigeria, we must demand leadership that is present, responsive, and responsible at all times.”
The killings in Nigeria have drawn the attention of the American government, and forced a warning from President of the United States (US), Donald Trump to the Nigerian Leaders.
Trump warned that if the Nigerian government is not capable of addressing the killings in the country, then the US will “address it for them”.
