Private Visits To France
ernment employee. He can’t just abscond first and explain later. Imagine if President Tinubu walks to the front porch of the Villa only to find out that his driver has gone out of town on a private visit, taking the car keys with him? Would the President condone that?
“He must signal seriousness to the federal workforce and the rest of Nigeria. I pray for strength and discernment on his behalf.
“We need him more than he knows. He is the only one we have. All executive powers of the federation are vested in him. He needs to be available for us. I pray for strength and discernment on his behalf.”
According to Youth Party National Publicity Secretary, Ayodele Adio, it is disheartening that the President decided to travel abroad at a moment the security of the country is in question.
Adio said it was unacceptable for the president to prioritise his personal interest over the security of a state whose conflict has the potential to spill to other states.
“It’s unclear why the President visits France regularly as the communication from his media team is usually vague. However, I take issue with this particular one because he chose to embark on a private visit when a state is engulfed in crisis, considering that he’s the Commander- in- Chief.
“While I understand the usual argument that he will not directly be involved with the security personnel in the conflict zone, his presence will pressure the troops to double down on their efforts and will also reassure the residents of Plateau that their President cares and is doing everything to restore peace,” Adio said.
The founding National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance ( APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, believes President Tinubu’s private visit to Paris is one of the privileges and entitlements of a Nigerian President under the country’s laws.
He identified other such visits to include state visits, diplomatic visits and working visits, adding: “I consider the noisy controversy over his private visit to Paris as being unduly dramatised.”
He, however, suggested that the Presidency ought to provide more details about the nature of the private visit.
“The demand for more details is because of his status as the President of Nigeria. This would have cleared wild speculations spreading everywhere, particularly about its timing at a time when insecurity and several other flashpoints have put Nigerian on the edge of instability,” he explained.
Executive Director, Civil Liberty Organisation ( CLO), Ibuchukwu Ezike, stated that only God, the president, and perhaps, those close to him could adduce reasons for such frequent travels to France.
“However, as a human, one can only attempt a guess. Three or four reasons I may suggest. First, France is one of the few developed nations of the World that readily accepted his Presidency. He may be visiting them as a friend. Secondly, the visit may be economical; to discuss economic cooperation with France. It may also be on medical tourism; to examine himself medically to be fit to deliver on his mandate to Nigerians.
“The last is on the soured relationship between France and her former colonies in the West African sub- region. President Tinubu is the Chairman of ECOWAS and one cannot foreclose France’s option of seeking his intervention in brokering peace between them and their former colonies in West Africa,” he noted.
But the Coordinator of Civil Rights Initiatives, Stephanie Brown, urged the President to shelve such visits and stay home to solve the country’s numerous problems.
“What has such visits benefitted us in the past? We are complaining about economic hardship, insecurity and killings here and there. Instead of sitting down to attend to the issues, he is embarking on private visits to the president of a country where things are working with our scare resources. It is not as if he is bringing something of benefit to the country with such visits
“So, for me, it is not right. Our leaders should learn to be leaders and stop running to individuals they feel are more superior. The President has embarked on numerous visits outside the country since he was sworn into office last year. I am yet to see the benefits of such visits. Rather, Nigerians keep suffering in pains and poverty. It is time for him to sit down at home and initiate good policies that will attract these foreign powers to Nigeria not running to them all the time,” she said.
Emeritus President of Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, in his reaction, stated: “It’s disheartening that the president is continuing the infamous conduct of his predecessor, of jetting out on secret missions and leaving the affairs of the state in limbo.
“The legacy party of APC was AC. AC had the heroic role of insisting that the then President Umaru Yar’adua disclosed his health status and why he was moving between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in unexplained missions.
“Former president, Muhammadu Buhari, took the esoteric trips and stay to a new level. Today, we have a president who is once more in Paris on unknown missions. What is wrong with addressing the nation and frankly disclosing his health status? Will it make him any less than what he is?”
The Youth Leader of the PDP in Ogun State, Sunkanmi Oyejide, who lamented the economic hardship in the country, said Tinubu’s private trip at this time was not the best, saying there was no sign yet that this administration is ready for business. He said: “Being a president comes with high level of responsibility, which is what the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – Tinubu should know. It’s like when your house is on fire and you abandon it. What does that translate to?
“At this moment when there’s a great deal of insecurity in the land. We are all aware of what is happening in Plateau State. We are all aware of what happened last Thursday to the Lagos State Chairman of the PDP who was kidnapped while returning from the Southwest PDP meeting at Ibadan. We are aware that ours is an economy that is struggling, that needs an urgent attention. “These are some of the things that the critical stakeholders and President need to discuss. He needs to stay more at home and consult widely so that we can have an economy that we are all proud of. A dollar to naira is over N1, 400 now; we have never had it this bad in this way in this country. His private trip at this time is not the best for the country. This administration should start showing why the electorate voted them into office; we should by now be seeing signs that the administration is ready for business.”
Oyejide stressed that at this critical period in the country, the President should sit more at home and engage critical stakeholders to fix the economy.
“There have been a lot of talks about the Dangote and Port Harcourt refineries that operations will soon start. But as we speak, nothing is working.
“Things have already started falling apart in this country. The President should sit more at home and stop embarking on needless trips abroad. Doing business in the country is no longer safe; the multinationals, including pharmaceutical companies, are moving their businesses outside the country. The drugs we buy at N1,000 is now about N11,000; the rice, which was the cheapest for the common man is now around N60,000. There is hunger in the land,” he added.
The Coordinator, Campaign Against Impunity in Nigeria, Comrade Shina Loremikan, who expressed worries over the state of the nation, said the country has entered ‘ one chance.’
“It has been giving me some worries and concern that we only read a public statement that the president is on a private visit to Paris. What for? I don’t know. I think as a head of government, the job is not a parttime job, it’s a full time job; you don’t go on holiday or leave of absence without justification.
“In December 2023, the president relocated from Aso Rock to Lagos, Dodan Barracks and later Bourdillon, before the public holidays. One would have thought it’s enough for him to get some rest. But now, he has flown to Paris. The images I saw gave the impression that the emblem of Nigeria was on the aircraft. I don’t know if it’s a recent picture or the picture of his departure to Paris. If the visit is private, I don’t expect the President to be on our presidential fleet.
“The public notice also said the President will be back sometime in February. There’s no specific date. The experience we have had with the president of this country is that, we don’t even know their specific motive for travelling. It happened with President Yar’adua; it happened with President Buhari, unfortunately, we are having it now with President Tinubu,” he said.
Loremikan noted that he has never heard that the president of some other third world countries, maybe Singapore, Malaysia or Vietnam left their country for medical treatment in Europe or America.