The multiple bombings in Maiduguri, Borno State, on March 16, which left 23 people dead and 108 others wounded, should have plunged the country into solemn reflection and decisive leadership. Instead, Nigeria witnessed a troubling display of indifference by those entrusted with its highest offices. This is insensitive, a misplacement of leadership.
At a moment of grief, when families were counting their dead and tending to the wounded, President Bola Tinubu and the political leadership chose pomp over presence, spectacle over statesmanship. The optics are galling.
The President’s trip to the United Kingdom for a state visit could—and should—have been cancelled. The argument that King Charles III should not be treated with such discourtesy is hollow.
Tinubu, as father of the country, owes a greater duty to grieving Nigerians than to ceremonial obligations abroad. Across the world, it is standard practice for leaders to adjust or call off foreign engagements in the face of national tragedy.
In July 2005, following the London bombings that killed 52 people, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair immediately left the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, to return to London and coordinate the national response. That is leadership rooted in responsibility and empathy. It is not unprecedented; it is expected.
Yet, as Borno bled, Tinubu remained abroad, attending banquets and engaging in diplomatic pleasantries. Worse still, a large Nigerian delegation—including Defence Minister Christopher Musa and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu—assembled in the UK to receive him.
These are officials who should have been on the ground in Maiduguri, directing emergency response, coordinating intelligence, and reassuring a traumatised populace.
Instead, they participated in the now-familiar airport pageantry, footage of which showed the President shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries as though on a victory lap.
This charade makes a mockery of governance. The President’s foremost constitutional responsibility is the protection of lives and property. When that duty fails—as it evidently did in Maiduguri—the least expected is visible leadership: a visit to the victims, comfort for the bereaved, and a firm hand guiding the response. Tinubu chose none of these. He chose the spotlight.
This indifference is even more jarring when placed against the backdrop of escalating insecurity in Borno. Barely a week before the bombings, disturbing footage emerged of child soldiers recruited by extremist groups.
Before that, Boko Haram overran Ngoshe, destroying a military base and killing civilians. The region has become a theatre of relentless violence, yet the urgency it demands appears lost on those in power.
While Tinubu dined at a royal banquet, families in Maiduguri were burying their dead. One reportedly lost four members in the attack. Was the trip, reportedly tied to securing yet another loan for port upgrades in Apapa and Tin Can, among others, worth the message it sent?
If Tinubu’s actions were troubling, those of the broader political class were no less so. On Tuesday, barely 24 hours after the bombings, Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo hosted an elaborate second-term swearing-in ceremony.
Among the dignitaries present was Vice-President Kashim Shettima, himself a former governor of Borno State. Also in attendance were former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.
That such a gathering could proceed amid pomp and fanfare, while Borno mourned, is deeply unsettling.
Soludo could have limited the occasion to a simple swearing-in, devoid of the loud celebration. Shettima, given his roots in Borno, should have been in Maiduguri, not Awka. Their choices underscore a political culture dangerously detached from the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
Elsewhere, such insensitivity would carry political consequences. Leaders have lost elections for far less. In Nigeria, however, accountability remains elusive, even as tragedy becomes routine.
History offers clear examples of what leadership during a crisis looks like. On September 11, 2001, US President George W. Bush cut short his visit to Florida to return to Washington and lead the response to the attacks. In 2015, French President François Hollande left the G20 Summit following the Paris terror attacks.
In 2016, President Barack Obama curtailed international engagements to address domestic security crises. These are not extraordinary acts; they are the minimum expected of leaders.
Meanwhile, Nigeria continues to bleed. In September 2024, about 130 people were massacred in Tarmuwa, Yobe State. In June 2025, some 200 were killed in Yelwata, Benue State. In January this year, over 160 Christians were abducted in Kaduna.
In February, roughly 170 people were slain in Woro and Nuku, Kwara State. Condemnations follow such attacks, calling them “atrocious, desperate, and cowardly.” Yet the killings persist.
Words are no longer enough. Leadership demands action, presence, and accountability.
Tinubu must lead from the front. He must overhaul Nigeria’s counterterrorism strategy, identify and dismantle the networks sustaining these groups, and ensure that security agencies are proactive rather than reactive.
Lessons abound from countries like Sri Lanka and Colombia, which confronted and overcame insurgencies through sustained, coordinated efforts.
Above all, the Commander-in-Chief must never again be missing in action when Nigerians are under attack. The people of Borno: indeed, all Nigerians deserve a leader who shows up not just in moments of triumph but also in their darkest hours.
