Tinubu and Obi
120-car convoy: ‘Lead by example’ – Obi berates Tinubu
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 General Election, Mr Peter Obi tackled President Bola Tinubu over his reported 120-car convoy which escorted him on arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja in Lagos from London, saying the latter’s ‘behaviour and public conduct must be in consonance with what the society requires today.’
President Tinubu, who just came into the county from London, returned to his home, Lagos to celebrate the sallah.
The President’s convoy that was seen heading to his home in Bourdillon, Ikoyi Lagos was said to be numbering over 100 vehicles of SUVs and luxurious buses, including BRT buses.
The car convoy had raised eyebrows with people both hailing and condemning it amid the current hike in pump price of petrol in the country, among other drastic policies directed by the government on citizens.
However, reacting to the incident, Thursday, Mr Obi urged Tinubu to lead by example, as he asked the President to make the same extent of sacrifices he is asking the people to make.
Obi doubled down on his position, Friday, via his personal Twitter handle to reiterate his earlier statement, as he told Tinubu to cut down on cost of governance.
“I’ve been asked questions related to cutting down the cost of governance, and the complaints by Nigerians concerning a trending motorcade video. I wasn’t opportune to see the video, but I will repeat what I said.
“The present Nigeria requires that all those who serve and lead must do so by example. Their behaviour and their public conduct must be in consonance with what the society requires today.
“We cannot continue to preach for the people to sacrifice without sacrificing too. The sacrifices must now start from the leaders visibly, and measurably at all times because the people are suffering. We must now be at the forefront of addressing the suffering,” Obi said.
Other critics have also expressed the Tinubu’s decision to enlist a 120-car convoy as distasteful, especially at a time when Nigerians are grappling with high fuel prices amid the removal of a fuel subsidy by Tinubu upon assumption into office.
Rights activist, Mr. Deji Adeyanju writing via his Twitter handle (@adeyanjudeji )wrote: “Why does the president of the POVERTY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD need to ride in a 120 car convoy and same people removed subsidy asking the poor to make sacrifices.”
Meanwhile, Tinubu has since thanked Nigerians for the ‘overwhelming reception’ they gave him upon arrival from his trip abroad. The 71-year-old had travelled to Paris, France to attend a summit before making a private visit to London.
Just two weeks earlier, the Nigerian leader was in the headlines for enlisting a firefighting truck into his convoy, the first in the history of the Nigerian presidency.
