Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has said Nigeria is rich enough to fund the frequent foreign trips embarked upon by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu since assumption of office.
Tinubu’s trips abroad had come under public scrutiny on the back of the economic hardship in the country with residents raising concerns over his large entourage.
There have also been arguments whether such trips had attracted commensurate benefits and investments for the country.
But while appearing on Channels Television Politics Today, the minister validated the president’s action.
He said Tinubu, contrary to the complaints, even needed to embark on more trips because of its strategic importance and inherent benefits to the country.
The minister noted that Tinubu could only strengthen ties with fellow global leaders in his quest to set the country on the right path.
He said, “It is not a fair assessment. The administration is still new because the President was sworn in in 2023. In global terms, he is still a new president. He needs to interact with his colleagues and fellow heads of state to be able to establish relationships.
“You can further see the fruits of these trips and their benefits which attracted $2bn (worth) of investments like he did in Brazil. In fact, I would venture to say we are not travelling enough. We should do more.”
Tuggar disagreed Nigeria did not have the money required for such frequent trips.
“Nigeria has the money. How much does travelling cost compared to the benefits? Again, how much does it cost really when you compare it to some of the things that the President has already addressed?
“How much have we wasted on fuel, electricity and other subsidies? He was subsidising consumption instead of production and subsidising the real sector of the economy,” he added.
Since assuming office in 2023, Tinubu has reportedly visited about 19 countries on 32 foreign trips.
