Former APC spokesman Timi Frank has strongly criticised President Bola Tinubu over his recent visit to the United Kingdom, describing the trip as insensitive amid fresh violence in Borno State.
Frank’s reaction follows coordinated bomb attacks in Maiduguri that reportedly killed at least 23 people and left over 100 others injured, targeting locations near the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, the main market, and a post office.
Condemning the President’s decision to proceed with the trip, Frank said:
“This is not just another attack , it is a national emergency… yet the President is preparing for a ceremonial outing in the UK. That is not leadership; that is abdication of responsibility.”
He also criticised the size of the presidential delegation, calling it excessive at a time of national mourning.
“No responsible leader boards a plane to wine, dine and dance when his country is burying its dead. A President with empathy goes to Maiduguri, not London,” he added.
Frank further faulted the United Kingdom for hosting the visit despite Nigeria’s security challenges, describing the gesture as misplaced.
“That is not diplomacy , it is complicity. It is a celebration in the face of tragedy,” he said.
The President had earlier departed Abuja alongside First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for a state visit, where they are expected to be hosted by King Charles III at Windsor Castle.
Frank warned that the timing of the visit sends the wrong message to Nigerians, insisting that moments of crisis demand visible leadership and solidarity with victims rather than official trips abroad.
