Findings by The Trumpet newspaper have revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu spent two days in Katsina State, contradicting a recent claim by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, that the president has not spent a night in any Nigerian state outside Lagos since assuming office in 2023.
Tinubu, on Friday, May 2, embarked on a two-day official visit to Katsina State and departed for Abuja shortly after 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 4.
Speaking during an X Space interactive session, Obi criticised Tinubu’s ongoing eight-day visit to Saint Lucia, questioning the president’s commitment to domestic affairs amid mounting national challenges, including devastating floods in Niger State.
“In two years, Tinubu has not spent one night in any state in Nigeria apart from Lagos, yet he is going to spend eight nights in Saint Lucia, a place smaller than Ajegunle,” Obi said. He further likened Saint Lucia’s size to Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, describing it as the 10th largest city in Nigeria.
However, The Trumpet reports that President Tinubu visited Katsina from Friday to Sunday in May, where he attended the wedding ceremony of Aisha Radda, daughter of Governor Dikko Umar Radda, and commissioned key development projects, including the multi-billion-naira Katsina State Agricultural Mechanisation Centre.
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During the two-day working visit, Tinubu also reviewed a military parade, addressed troops, and inaugurated a 24-kilometre road project constructed under Governor Radda’s administration. His visit concluded with a special banquet hosted in his honour by the Katsina State Government.
Presidency officials have dismissed Obi’s remarks as politically motivated and inaccurate. Fredrick Nwabufo, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement, described Obi’s comments as “empty rhetoric aimed at distorting public understanding.”
Nwabufo explained that Tinubu’s trip to Saint Lucia is part of Nigeria’s broader foreign policy strategy to deepen diplomatic and economic ties with the Caribbean, noting that Saint Lucia serves as the headquarters of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
“The president’s visit is not a leisure trip but a move to expand Nigeria’s presence and leadership in global affairs,” Nwabufo said. He urged opposition figures to avoid trivialising matters of national interest for political gain, particularly during sensitive periods.
