Pius Nsabe
As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected in Benue State on Wednesday in what the Presidency calls a solidarity visit after gunmen killed more than 200 villagers this month, Benue State Government has urged the people of the state to come out en masse to welcome the President.
The invitation to welcome the President is contained in a directive circulating online and signed by Hon. Francis Ngutswen, Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Groups Mobilization.
The statement reads, “I am pleased to notify you at the instance of our dear Governor, His Excellency Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, Leader of the All Progressives Congress in Benue State, to mobilize massively to give a rousing welcome to our dear President.
“Support Groups Constituency is required to form a colourful shoulder-to-shoulder spread/procession from airport to Wurukum Roundabout down to Government House, where the President will address a town hall meeting”.
The directive added that the accreditation would be done strictly by the numbers and colours.
This, however, has not gone down well with some members of the online community who believe that such fanfare was not necessary as the President’s visit should reflect the somber mood of the people of the state.
A Nigerian Journalist based in the United Kingdom, Damilola Amuda, in a Facebook post said “Just days after losing over 200 lives in a tragic attack, the people of Benue are rolling out the drums and sewing aso ebi (uniform) to welcome the President, who is coming on a condolence visit. Why are we so insensitive?”
On his part, Sola Shokunbi wrote: “Chaiiiiiiiiii………why do we deserve these woes despite the level of intelligence professed by this nation? How did we get here, just how?”
Another commentator, Damilare Adewunmi Aremo-Apede said, “I weep for this generation and the generation to come because we are sitting on gunpowder.”
The long-awaited trip by the President follows weeks of public outrage and fierce criticism from opposition figures.
Meanwhile, Labour Party’s Presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, who had lambasted the President for “deafening silence” over the carnage, welcomed the announcement on Tuesday but said the gesture is coming “far too late for grieving families.”
In a statement, Obi argued that the first citizen’s physical presence in traumatised communities, not future scheduling, is what Nigerians deserve during emergencies.
“Prompt visits convey urgency,” he said. “Announcing a date makes it look like a routine state tour.”
Obi noted that Abuja is only 282 km from Makurdi, the Benue capital, and 287 km from Mokwa in Niger State, which last week lost more than 200 residents to devastating floods while over 1,000 people remain missing.
Citing international precedent, Obi pointed to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent 1,870-km round-trip from Pretoria to Mthatha to condole with flood victims where fewer than 100 deaths were recorded. “If Ramaphosa can do that, our own President surely can travel a shorter distance to stand with Nigerians,” he said.
The former Anambra governor urged Tinubu to extend the same compassion to flood-ravaged Niger communities, warning that selective consolation risks deepening perceptions of neglect. “Let your visit to Mokwa send a strong message that every Nigerian life matters,” he added.
Beyond optics, Obi pressed for tougher security and disaster-response measures, arguing that the persistence of mass killings and climate-driven disasters exposes “leadership by remote control.”
He called on the federal government to deploy more troops to vulnerable rural areas and to accelerate relief funds for displaced families. He also proposed a federally coordinated insurance scheme for farmers who lose crops and livestock to conflict or floods.
In the meantime, Benue Governor Hyacinth Alia has provided a chilling update on the recent massacre in Yelewata, revealing that the attackers gained entry into the community through a river route and launched a coordinated strike lasting two hours.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, June 17, Alia said the attackers, believed to be armed herdsmen, used the river to circumvent military and police checkpoints positioned around the area.
“Yes, it lasted for two hours. Right at Yelewata itself, there is a military checkpoint, and then the police as well.
“But here is how it happened: The river is not far from this axis, so we understand that they used the river’s route,” the governor said.
Presidential aides insist Wednesday’s visit will “affirm the administration’s commitment to the safety of all Nigerians.” Yet civil society groups say only sustained action—safer farming corridors, early-warning flood systems and swift compensation—will demonstrate that commitment long after the cameras leave.
