Peter Obi adds his voice to the growing condemnation of Tinubu's 124-car motorcade

FORMER Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has added his voice to the condemnation of the recent show of vanity that saw President Bola Tinubu drive through Lagos with a 124-car motorcade.

Earlier this week, President Tinubu arrived back in the country from Europe where he had attended a finance summit in France and then had a stop off in London. Upon arriving at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos, he was driving in a huge motorcade of about 124 cars to his private residence in Ikoyi.

Coming at a time when most Nigerians are having to live with rising inflation and falling living standards, the ostentation on show has attracted a lot of criticism. President Tinubu himself had asked Nigerians to tighten their belts in these hard times, so his display of such an opulence, especially at a time with petrol prices are rising had been harshly criticised.

Adding his voice to the matter, Governor Obi said leaders, particularly people in public offices must visibly sacrifice for the people. Although the former governor stated that he had not seen the video of the motorcade, he added that Nigeria's leaders should set a good example by not being ostentatious.

Governor Obi said: “I have not seen the video you talked about but let me tell you what I have always said that present Nigeria requires that all those who serve and lead must do so by example. The behaviour, character, and public conduct of those who serve must be in consonance with what society requires today.

"You cannot continue to preach to the people to sacrifice without sacrificing. The sacrifice must start with the leaders, visibly, measurably at all times, because the people are suffering and we must all be at the forefront of the suffering.

“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 opportuned 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, so we must now be at the forefront of addressing the suffering."