“Our Nation Is Losing Its Soul” — Peter Obi Slams Fanfare During Tinubu’s Visit To Grieving Benue
Published: Thursday, June 19, 2025
In a deeply emotional and sharply critical message, former presidential candidate Peter Obi has condemned the “tone-deaf fanfare” that surrounded President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Benue State, where over 150 innocent Nigerians were slaughtered in a series of brutal attacks.
Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) account, Obi questioned the lack of compassion and empathy shown during what should have been a solemn moment of national mourning.
🧒🏾 “Children Were Lined Up in the Rain to Dance”
Obi shared a disturbing video showing schoolchildren in uniform, standing in the pouring rain, singing and dancing to welcome the President, despite the traumatic loss of lives in their communities.
“What has happened to our compassion as a people?” Obi asked.
“We pleaded with the President to visit Benue and Niger States not for celebration, but to mourn with the grieving… instead, what we got was a carnival.”
🕊️ From Mourning to Music? Obi Says “We Are Clapping While Our Nation Bleeds”
Obi lamented how a visit that should have been marked by silence, solidarity, and sorrow was instead turned into a stage-managed event complete with banners, music, and forced cheer.
“The President arrived not in mourning cloth, but in celebratory agbada,” Obi said, “like it was a joyous occasion.”
He condemned the Kaduna State Government’s decision to declare a public holiday, not for reflection or prayers, but to mobilize crowds and create spectacle. Schools were shut, not to protect or console the children, but to make them props in a disturbing pageant.
🇳🇬 “This Is Not Leadership” — Global Comparisons Drawn
To drive home his point, Obi pointed to examples of real leadership in times of grief:
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When South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Mthatha after devastating floods, there were no drums or fanfare—just quiet presence and swift action.
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When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site of a deadly crash, no crowds were staged to cheer him. He came to mourn, to listen, and to act.
“That is what leadership looks like in moments of pain,” Obi said.
⚠️ “A Nation Losing Its Soul”
Obi warned that Nigeria is dangerously normalizing spectacle over substance, optics over empathy. In a nation not officially at war, hundreds are dying in silence, while its leaders celebrate over graves.
“We are not at war, yet our nation is bleeding — and we are clapping,” he said.
“When condolence visits become carnivals, a nation begins to lose its soul.”
🧠 Final Thought: Where Do We Go From Here?
Peter Obi’s message is a painful wake-up call for a country on the edge. It calls into question not just the decisions of leaders, but the conscience of an entire society.
“These were human beings. Children. Mothers. Fathers. Their blood cries out for justice,” he said.
“A new Nigeria is POssible.”
