FAILED LEADERSHIP AND THE DANGEROUS AMBIGUITY AT THE TOP OF NIGERIA Who is actually in charge of Nigeria? President

Nigerianewslite 

The central question Nigerians deserve answered is simple: Who is actually in charge of Nigeria? President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been outside the country since August 30, initially described as being on a working vacation, while Vice President Kashim Shettima is in New York representing Nigeria at the United Nations General Assembly. Although the Presidency insists that there is no leadership vacuum and that the President continues to govern remotely, the unusual situation has understandably raised serious questions about leadership, accountability and constitutional procedure.

The issue is not whether a President has the right to travel. He does. The concern is whether there is a clear and constitutionally established chain of authority while he is away, particularly when the Vice President is also outside Nigeria. Section 145 of the Nigerian Constitution provides a specific procedure concerning the President's temporary inability to discharge his functions, including the transmission of a written declaration to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives. Nigerians therefore deserve transparency about whether the relevant constitutional procedure was followed and what arrangements are currently governing the country.

The situation is particularly striking because President Tinubu met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, while Macron subsequently attended the UN General Assembly in New York and Nigeria was represented by Vice President Shettima. Leadership is about visibility, communication and public confidence, especially when citizens are confronting economic hardship, insecurity, rising living costs and other pressing national challenges.

Ultimately, the controversy exposes a deeper problem of failed leadership and inadequate communication. Nigerians deserve more than assurances that everything is under control; they deserve clear information about who is exercising authority, under what constitutional provision, and what practical arrangements are in place when both the President and Vice President are outside the country. In a democracy, leadership should not be surrounded by ambiguity. Nigeria needs accountable leadership that communicates clearly, follows constitutional procedures and gives citizens confidence that someone is firmly and transparently in charge.