Yemi Obafemi
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply condemned President Bola Tinubu’s recent trip to France, asserting that Nigeria is currently facing a “full-blown state of emergency” under his administration.
Atiku, through his media aide Paul Ibe, condemned the trip as ill-timed and irresponsible, accusing the president of abandoning a nation in crisis while indulging in what he described as a “vanity visit” overseas.
The presidency had earlier described the trip as a “working visit” and clarified that it was not for medical reasons.
The statement reads: “ By the time Tinubu struts back from this latest escapade, he will have racked up a staggering 59 days in France since assuming office. “See Paris and die?” No — see Paris and abandon your country. While Tinubu dines under chandeliers in the land of good governance, the country he governs is spiraling into chaos. Plateau has turned into a killing field — over 100 lives lost in relentless attacks.
“Benue is bleeding. Boko Haram is seizing territory. And every single day, Nigerians sink deeper into poverty, insecurity, and despair. This isn’t just negligence. It’s dereliction of duty on a catastrophic scale. If Tinubu had even a shred of empathy, he would cut his trip short and return immediately. A leader with an ounce of patriotism wouldn’t need to be begged to show up in times of crisis. The constitution says the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government.
“But under Tinubu, that sacred duty has been trashed. Let’s be honest: there is absolutely nothing Tinubu is doing in France that he couldn’t do in Lagos, or even in Iragbiji. This so-called “working visit” is nothing more than a vacation cloaked in official jargon. Nigeria is in a full-blown state of emergency. Not a contrived political emergency like what Tinubu declared in Rivers for partisan gain — this is a national collapse. So when, exactly, will Tinubu declare a state of emergency on his own disastrous presidency?
