Peter Obi Slams Government Over Empty Nigerian Booths at TICAD9

F Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has criticized the Federal Government over what he described as a national embarrassment following the absence of Nigerian representation at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Japan.

In a statement on Wednesday, Obi said the empty booths reserved for Nigeria at the conference not only symbolize the government’s neglect of international engagements but also mirror the “emptiness” Nigerians continue to experience at home.

“The empty Nigerian booths in Japan do not just define the empty promises of this government for the past two years; they also reflect the consistent emptiness Nigerians have been fed at home,” Obi said.

Reacting to official explanations that the government opted for “more strategic engagements” instead of showcasing at the booths, Obi dismissed the defence as another example of recycled excuses. He accused the administration of a pattern of misleading citizens with wrong statistics and hollow assurances while failing to provide tangible solutions to the country’s challenges.

According to him, the diplomatic lapse is more than a missed opportunity for investment and partnership; it represents a physical reminder of the broken promises at home.

“Just as those booths stood empty in Japan, so too have the lives of millions of Nigerians been left empty — empty of hope, empty of relief, and empty of the progress they were promised. The truth is unavoidable. We must do better as a nation,” Obi stressed.

The TICAD9 conference, co-hosted by Japan and the United Nations, is a key platform for African nations to explore trade, investment, and development partnerships.