Tinubu’s Frequent Foreign Trips Show Nigeria Can’t Afford a ‘Nomadic President’ — Labour Party
The Labour Party (LP) has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what it described as his “endless overseas travels,” accusing him of abandoning Nigeria at a time of deepening insecurity and economic hardship.
Interim National Publicity Secretary of the party, Tony Akeni, in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, said the President’s latest 10-day vacation in France and the United Kingdom underscores a troubling pattern of absentee leadership.
Tinubu departed Nigeria on Thursday for the working vacation, billed as part of his 2025 annual leave. The trip has drawn criticism from opposition parties and civil society groups, who argue that his frequent travels come at a time when poverty, insecurity and failing healthcare services are worsening.
Akeni alleged that Tinubu has spent nearly 160 days abroad since assuming office in May 2023 — almost half a year within just two years in power. He recalled that the President embarked on his first annual leave barely four months after inauguration, a precedent the LP spokesman described as “unheard of anywhere else in the world.”
“President Tinubu leaves behind a country where 135 million citizens slipped into poverty within the first 18 months of his administration due to harsh economic policies,” Akeni said.
He added: “Today, 57 Nigerians die daily from violent attacks — seven more than Ukraine’s war casualties, according to global monitoring groups. Yet, our President chooses to spend his time overseas while insecurity and inflation ravage the country.”
The LP further accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of a legacy of leaders who prioritise foreign medical care and vacations over fixing Nigeria’s broken systems. Akeni likened Tinubu’s pattern of foreign trips to that of former President Muhammadu Buhari, saying both epitomise “nomadic presidencies sustained at taxpayers’ expense.”
He argued that the billions budgeted annually for the State House Clinic remain unaccounted for, while ordinary citizens lack access to basic healthcare.
Promising a different approach, Akeni said: “When Nigerians entrust the Labour Party with power in 2027, we will strengthen healthcare and governance systems to serve everyone at home, not abroad. Nigerians must vote wisely.”
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