The Labour Party has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s frequent foreign trips, warning that his long absences are impractical at a time Nigeria is grappling with worsening economic hardship and insecurity.
In a statement on Saturday, the party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Tony Akeni, said the President’s current 10-day working vacation in France and the United Kingdom underscores what he described as Tinubu’s “allergy to staying at home to tackle the nation’s problems.”
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu departed Nigeria for yet another of his too many overseas trips. This time, the trip is officially explained as a 10-day vacation and part of his 2025 annual leave, which he will spend in France and the United Kingdom,” Akeni said.
The LP spokesman noted that the foreign trips come against the backdrop of rising inflation, a weakening naira, widespread insecurity and the World Bank’s recent data showing that 135 million Nigerians had slipped into poverty in Tinubu’s first 18 months in office.
He said, “As President Tinubu takes to the sky, he leaves behind a country ravaged by economic hardship where 135 million citizens fell into poverty in the first 18 months of his administration, caused by his difficult economic policies.”
He further claimed that violent deaths across the country average 57 daily, a figure he argued is higher than the 50 deaths reported daily from Ukraine’s ongoing war.
The party also questioned the frequency of Tinubu’s trips, alleging that the President has spent almost 160 days abroad in less than two years.
The LP concluded that such “medical and social tourism” undermines governance and drains public resources, warning that Nigeria “cannot afford this.”
However, the ruling APC has defended the President’s travels, insisting that governance continues regardless of his physical location.
In a statement earlier, APC spokesperson, Seye Oladejo, argued that Tinubu remains in constant communication with his security and economic teams even while abroad.
“Governance does not grind to a halt simply because a leader takes time to rest—especially in an age where secure, real-time communication is always within reach,” Oladejo said.
PUNCH reports that Tinubu left Abuja on Thursday for the European vacation amid mounting criticism from opposition parties and civil society groups, who argue that his presence is critical at home during Nigeria’s ongoing economic downturn and security unrest.
