Gbadebo Rhodes-Viviour has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s foreign trips, describing them as offering little or no value to Nigerians amid the challenges facing the country.
Rhodes-Viviour, the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate for Lagos State in the 2023 general elections, criticised the president for prioritizing visiting the United Kingdom despite the biting costs of fuel and other economic challenges Nigerians are battling with.
“The President has spent a significant amount of time traveling outside the country while the people are experiencing extreme hardship. That is unprecedented. Regarding the topic you just discussed and the pain Nigerians are dealing with—specifically higher petrol and diesel prices—I don’t think this visit is a priority for Nigerians right now,” Rhodes-Viviour, who is now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
“His visiting and perhaps adding some legitimacy and credibility to his position as President is good for him, his optics, and his party. However, I don’t see how it is entirely good for the Nigerian people. This is a President who spends quite a lot of time outside the country, so I don’t truly see the value for the average Nigerian. For him, surely, it is beneficial.”
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‘No vision’
President Tinubu is in the UK on a state visit. The ex-Lagos state governor is accompanied by the First Lady, Remi Tinubu, and other top government officials.
They are in the UK as guests of their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
King Charles will host Tinubu and his wife at Windsor Castle from Wednesday, March 18, to Thursday, March 19.
The presidency said the visit is to strengthen bilateral relations and explore avenues for further collaboration.
His visit is the first by a Nigerian leader in 37 years. The country and the UK share strong historical ties as the former colonised the latter.
The trip is the latest in Tinubu’s foreign travels. But critics and opposition parties have faulted the president’s trips abroad, asking him to instead focus on addressing the challenges in the country, especially following the attack in Borno, which left scores dead.
“We have been colonized and enslaved, yet there is no vision for our security. We can barely protect our own citizens,” the 43-year-old said on the breakfast show.
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