Tinubu’s failure to call Makinde 50 days after school abduction shows lack of compassion — Obi

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Peter Obi has criticised President Bola Tinubu for allegedly failing to contact Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde more than 50 days after the abduction of schoolchildren in the state.

He stated that the development is evidence of a worsening leadership crisis and a lack of compassion in the country’s response to insecurity.

In a statement issued on Monday, Obi said he was shocked to discover during a recent visit to Ibadan that the President had not spoken with Makinde over the incident despite the prolonged captivity of the pupils.

The former Anambra State governor said the failure of the President to personally reach out to the governor reflected what he described as an absence of empathy and effective leadership at a time when Nigerians expected decisive action from the nation’s highest office.

“The ultimate cost of uncompassionate leadership, as evident in the country today, is turning citizens’ frustration into deep, volatile resentment. It is even more traumatising when the leader presiding over that collapse demonstrates clear incapacity and a lack of compassion,” Obi said.

According to him, the government and people of Oyo State had every reason to feel abandoned, noting that more than 50 days had passed since the schoolchildren were abducted without what he called any tangible effort towards securing their release.

“The government and people of Oyo State, more than 50 days after the abduction of the schoolchildren without any tangible effort toward their rescue, should rightly feel bitter and abandoned,” he added.

Obi disclosed that he had consistently spoken out about the incident, including appealing directly to the abductors to release the children.

He also revealed that he contacted Governor Makinde twice to express solidarity, insisting that the tragedy was a national concern rather than an issue affecting only Oyo State.

“Since this unfortunate incident, I have spoken publicly about it twice, including appealing directly to the kidnappers to release the children. I also called the Governor twice to assure him of my solidarity, understanding that this issue is not just an Oyo problem but a Nigerian tragedy,” he stated.

The former presidential candidate said he travelled to Ibadan on Friday, July 3, alongside economist Prof. Pat Utomi to sympathise with the Oyo State Government after more than seven weeks had elapsed without the rescue of the children.

He explained that during the meeting, he shared his experience in tackling insecurity as governor of Anambra State and recalled how former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan maintained regular communication with state governors whenever serious security challenges arose.

“I recalled how President Olusegun Obasanjo, and later Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, would personally call us several times whenever we faced major security challenges,” Obi said.

He added that he had assumed President Tinubu and Governor Makinde had been in constant communication over the school abduction until the governor told him otherwise.

“But, to my utmost shock, I discovered that, contrary to my assumption that they had been in regular communication over the matter, Governor Seyi Makinde had not received a single call from President Bola Tinubu,” he said.

Drawing comparisons with the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, Obi recalled that although former President Jonathan came under intense criticism for taking more than two weeks to contact the then Borno State governor, Tinubu was among those who publicly demanded Jonathan’s resignation over the delay.

“I vividly recall that the current President, Bola Tinubu, led a team of vocal critics who called for President Jonathan’s immediate resignation over the incident, citing his delay in calling the state governor. That call for immediate resignation should actually be the case in this matter,” Obi stated.

The former Labour Party presidential candidate further alleged that more than 13 school kidnapping incidents had occurred under the current administration, yet the President had allegedly failed to personally engage the affected governors.

“Today, under President Tinubu, there have been more than 13 school kidnappings, yet the President has found it difficult to call the affected state’s chief executive after more than 50 days. This is outrageous. I suspect the same may also have been the case in other school kidnapping incidents,” he said.

Obi maintained that the lives of kidnapped schoolchildren, their teachers and other Nigerians in captivity should be the government’s highest priority, arguing that the current situation pointed to a complete collapse of governance.

“I cannot imagine any issue more important than the lives of our kidnapped children, their teachers, and the many other Nigerians being held captive across the country. It is now an indisputable fact that governance has completely collapsed under this administration,” he said.

He described the situation as a reflection of “a total lack of capacity and compassion, compounded by glaring insensitivity,” adding that President Tinubu should either resign or abandon any ambition to seek re-election in 2027.

“Amid such an apparent display of incompetence, the President should either resign or, at the very least, abstain from seeking re-election for the sake of our dear country. This call is patriotic, not political,” Obi said.