Peter Obi, Presidential candidate of the Labour Party LP, in the 2023 Presidential election, has expressed fears that President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the troubled Benue state on Wednesday, may not achieve the desired result of restoring permanent peace to the state.
The former Anambra State Governor, while assessing the visit on his X handle on Thursday, noted that the flamboyant and carnival-like displays were a complete departure from well-established norms associated with mourning and condolences visits.
Obi wondered why such a display, and act he said, depicted a lack of respect for the over 200 lives lost to the mindless Yelwata killings that necessitated the President’s visit to Benue.
The Labour Party leader also cited the recent visit to a flood-ravaged South African community of Mathatha by President Cyril Ramaphosa or Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the scene of the recent plane crash were marked with such a display of drums and cheers.
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He also condemned the Governor Hyacinth Alia-led administration in Benue for forcing school children to line up under harsh weather conditions, just to sing and cheer the President, rather than allowing them to mourn their parents and schoolmates who were murdered in cold blood by the Fulani herdsmen
“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.
“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.
“The President arrived not in mourning clothes but in celebratory agbada attire, like it were an occasion for joy.
“Even more heartbreaking is the role of the State. Rather than being in a mourning mood and weeping, the state declared a public holiday, not for reflection or prayer, but to organise fanfare. Schools were shut down. 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. In what kind of country does this happen?”
Obi lamented that the nation has “tragically arrived at a point where condolence visits have become carnivals.
“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.
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“This is not how any compassionate nation behaves. 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.
“Look elsewhere: 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. 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.
“We must ask ourselves: What kind of people have we become?
“Enough of this culture of impunity. We are not at war, yet our nation is bleeding, and we are clapping. It is not only insensitive, it is dangerous.
“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 a campaign or festival, our Nation loses its soul”.
