Tinubu remains engaged in governance from Europe,will return after Easter – Presidency.
Even though he is currently in Europe, President Bola Tinubu remains actively engaged in Nigerian administration, according to the presidency.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the president’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, stated that his absence is transitory and will last about two weeks, as previously mentioned.
Onanuga stated that the president departed Paris for London over the weekend and has been in close communication with key government officials while monitoring crucial national concerns, such as directions to security chiefs to face rising threats in certain sections of the country.
He announced that he will return to Abuja and resume his duties at Aso Villa after the Easter holiday.
“The president’s dedication to his duties is steadfast, and his administration continues to work efficiently under his supervision.
“We appreciate the public’s concern and assure all Nigerians that governance proceeds without interruption,” according to the statement.
Some opposition leaders have urged the president to return home from his trip to Europe to address governance issues, following the rise of insecurity in various parts of the country, including the massacre of many people in Plateau and Benue State.
In a message uploaded on Wednesday to his official X account, Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, criticised the president’s absence despite rising crime and insecurity across the country.
“Mr President, domestic problems beckon,” Obi wrote. “I am compelled at this time in our lives as a nation to call on our retreating president’s attention to the security challenges at home, which entail that he immediately suspend his ongoing retreat in a foreign land and come home to address the overwhelming security situation across the country.”
The former governor of Anambra State noted that over 150 Nigerians had been slain in the past two weeks, citing repeated attacks in Plateau and Zamfara states, as well as pipeline explosions in the Niger Delta, which underscored the country’s poor situation.
“In the two weeks you have been away, over 150 Nigerians have lost their lives to insecurity across Nigeria, especially in Plateau and Zamfara states,” according to him.
“The primary duty of any government is to secure the lives and property of its citizens, and one wonders about the type of retreat going on in another country where peace has been secured by their leaders while blood continues to flow in our country.”
Obi portrayed the country as in crisis and compared the president to a fleeing CEO far from the headquarters of his failing business. He asked the president to take quick and decisive action.
“In the midst of all this, the CEO of Nigeria’s ailing company is withdrawing to a remote location in France, away from the company’s headquarters.
“I thus encourage Mr President to immediately cease whatever he is doing in France and return home to take responsibility by addressing these troubling issues. “That is the new Nigeria the country seeks,” he stated.
Obi’s demand was followed by that of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who ran in the 2023 presidential election for the Peoples Democratic Party.
Atiku questioned Tinubu’s ongoing presence in the European country, considering the wave of deaths in Nigeria.
“Allow the facts to speak for themselves. By the time Tinubu returns from his current trip, he will have spent 59 days in France since taking office. “See Paris and leave?” No, visit Paris and quit your nation. While Tinubu dines under chandeliers in the land of excellent administration, the country he leads is descending into chaos. Paul Ibe, Atiku’s spokesperson, said in a statement on Wednesday that the Plateau has become a terrible battlefield, with over 100 people killed as a result of unrelenting attacks.
“Benue is bleeding.” Boko Haram is seizing territory. And every day, Nigerians fall deeper into poverty, insecurity, and despair. Such behaviour isn’t just negligence. This is a catastrophic level of neglect of responsibility. If Tinubu had any empathy, he would cut his trip short and return immediately. A leader with a strong sense of patriotism would not require pleading in times of crisis. According to the constitution, the basic objective of government is to ensure people’s security and wellbeing.
According to the statement, the president will examine his administration’s midterm performance and major milestones during his visit.
Tinubu will also use the retreat to assess the status of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning as his administration approaches its second anniversary.