The main opposition parties have expressed disapproval of President Bola Tinubu’s frequent trips abroad, accusing him of prioritizing tours around the world rather than addressing pressing domestic issues.
In the past 18 months, Tinubu and Vice President Kassim Shettima have visited 28 countries 43 times, while the President has visited 17 countries 30 times.
Tinubu is currently in France for a state visit, which has drawn further criticism from opposition parties.
The National Deputy Youth Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Timothy Osadore, said Tinubu’s pattern of foreign visits was excessive.
“I believe now more than ever that being president is only defined by how much you travel around the world,” he said. He is busy flying around the world instead of sitting down to reduce waste and develop the country’s economy. Traveling abroad is a great way to attract investment.
“But why does this country have a trade and investment minister and a foreign ambassador? These are also some international business platforms that the government should consider on the one hand.”
Ms Osadore wondered why the funds spent on such trips could not be put to better use to help thousands of unemployed Nigerian youths.
“The huge tax dollars spent on these missions would be more than enough to establish over 20 small-scale industries that would lift over 10,000 young people out of unemployment and increase our production.” Deaf,” the youth leader added.
On the issue, the National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Ladipo Johnson, expressed concern over the president’s frequent trips abroad.
Johnson says the trend is becoming alarming.
he said: We don’t know what kind of impact his travels around the world had. At this point, we’re saying it’s going to lead to investment, but we haven’t seen it. How will investors come in when the economy doesn’t seem to be improving? Additionally, security issues must be addressed.
“Ultimately, we will know his scorecard when the papers are graded by next May, the mid-term of his four years. You can see what you did and what you got out of it.”
Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Sunday Dare, in an interview with TVC on Friday, explained that Tinubu, Nigeria’s “chief marketer”, cannot afford to remain silent.
“For a country that is seeking direct investment and pursuing a new trajectory in terms of important areas of its economy, I think the new president needs to make sure that he interacts quickly with other presidents,” he said. , investors, and large international organizations attend most of these conferences that they attend.
“Yes, the president has a job to do from home, but he can’t be a stay-at-home president. He has to go out and represent this country. He needs to pitch hard. The administration’s number one spokesperson. These trips are not junkets. They are vital to the development of the country.”
