Hi there!
How have you been?
Summer is over, so it’s odd to talk about holidays now. Except if you are a president on “a working vacation!”
When Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, decided to take a two-week leave to the UK – he didn’t say precisely where in the UK – his decision aroused public curiosity.
Second only to Kenya’s William Ruto as Africa’s “tourist-in-chief”, Tinubu made 14 trips in the first eight months of his presidency, a record that he has since consolidated with several other visits, including a recent visit to China and a stopover to see King Charles III.
So, why did he set out again for the UK just one day after Nigeria’s independence anniversary, amidst echoes of protests, a cabinet afraid for its life, and economic hardship? The Presidency described it as a “working vacation” and “time for reflection,” giving the trip a ring of necessity.
But the opposition is not impressed, and it’s not hard to see why. President Olusegun Obasanjo was probably the most travelled of Nigeria’s five presidents since 1999, but mainly for economic diplomacy.
President Muhammadu Buhari holds the record for health tourism. Yet, there have been unconfirmed reports that even in less than half the life of his first term, the bulk of Tinubu’s trips have been health-related.
President Muhammadu Buhari holds the record for health tourism. Yet, there have been unconfirmed reports that even in less than half the life of his first term, the bulk of Tinubu’s trips have been health-related.
It’s the same for European leaders, except British Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. The former was a crank, the latter a wealthy, insular guy who didn’t mind the price of far-out vacations in the US to refresh the early romantic memories with his wife.
If Tinubu wants to be different, he should explore any top African vacation destinations next time or clean up Obudu Cattle Ranch as a presidential resort. He can’t travel in the opposite direction when African destinations attract more local and foreign holidaymakers!
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