Olu Allen
The constitutional ghost
Section 130(1) of Nigeria’s Constitution names the President “Head of State.” Yet since May 2023, Nigerians have whispered a question that should never be necessary in a functioning democracy: Where is the Head?
When Plateau buries its dead, Kaduna schools are emptied by kidnappers, and Kano’s markets are starved by inflation, leadership is not measured by the number of foreign conferences attended, but by the number of crises faced at home. Silence in such moments is not discretion — it appears to be abandonment.
The Pattern: Escape routes over emergencies
1. A Jet-Set Presidency
Within a year, President Tinubu has turned foreign travel into a defining pattern of his administration. Brazil three times.
France enough to raise questions about priorities. Now Japan and Brazil again — departing days before events begin, returning days after they end. Even the Daily Trust has noted this repeated trend.
2. Absence in the Hour of Need
January 2024: a 14-day “private visit” while bandits killed over 200 in Plateau (as reported by multiple news outlets).
April 2025: 19 days abroad during one of the deadliest months in recent years (over 1,200 deaths, SBM Intelligence).
Insecurity at home, ceremonies abroad.
3. Health and Secrecy
When rumours of a medical trip surfaced, the Presidency said he was “working from home.” Yet FEC meetings were postponed and public events cancelled, all while ₦21bn was budgeted over a decade for the State House Clinic, with little visible use for presidential care.
The bloodied cost of absence
Trust Deficit: Public trust in the Presidency stands at 46%, the lowest on record (Afrobarometer).
Security Vacuum: 80 Kaduna students kidnapped during one absence abroad.
Distorted Priorities: A 72-hour delay to address a massacre in Paris. A same-day welcome for the Super Falcons.
A leader who vacations over corpses risks losing the moral authority to demand sacrifice.”
— Jide Ojo, Channels TV
Why this fails the poorest Nigerians
Section 145 of the Constitution requires a written handover to the Vice President when the President is absent, a step reportedly skipped multiple times.
Seeking healthcare abroad while allocating billions for local clinics sends the wrong message to citizens.
History offers warnings: absentee leadership has fuelled instability in other countries. In Gabon, a 2023 coup was partly met with public approval because the people felt leaderless.
What patriotism demands
1. Enforce Section 145, the National Assembly must ensure written handovers during all absences.
2. Adopt Ghana’s Health Model, an independent public health certification for the President to remove speculation.
3. Crisis Presence Rule. address the nation within 24 hours of any major tragedy.
LEADERSHIP IS NOT A TRAVEL LOG
This is not about Peter Obi, nor about partisan loyalties. It is about the fact that a nation in distress needs a President whose first duty is to its people, not to an itinerary.
Obi is right on one key point: the President’s travels should be fewer, shorter, and never come before visiting troubled states or facing grieving citizens.
Nigerians know our problems will not vanish overnight, but they expect to see total effort here at home, not prolonged stays in Parisian cafés or São Paulo hotels while communities mourn and millions go hungry.
Mr. President, this country is not a tourist stop. It is a house on fire. And the one holding the hose cannot fight the flames from 5,000 miles away.
Allen writes from Kano on public affairs and promotes good governance.
