Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has advocated for more foreign trips by President Bola Tinubu, asserting that the country has the financial capacity to support such travels.
Tuggar made the statement during a live broadcast on Channels TV, emphasizing the economic benefits of the president’s international engagements.
He highlighted the impact of Tinubu’s previous trips, citing a $2 million investment deal secured in Brazil to develop Nigeria’s livestock sector. Tuggar noted that Brazil, a global leader in livestock production, processes 50 million chickens and over 8 million cows daily, with their cattle weighing twice as much as Nigeria’s. He stressed that such partnerships could address critical issues like the herders-farmers crisis.
“In fact, I would say we are not traveling enough. Nigeria has the money, and the cost of traveling is minimal compared to the benefits President Tinubu has already delivered,” Tuggar stated.
However, Tinubu’s frequent trips have drawn criticism. Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi recently alleged that Tinubu spent over 30% of his 580 days in office abroad, including more than 30 publicly documented trips.
In August 2024, data from GovSpend, an analytics platform by BudgIT Foundation, revealed that President Tinubu spent N2.3 billion on foreign trips and related expenses between February and July 2024. Despite these costs, Tuggar insists the economic gains justify the expenditures, urging the president to expand his international engagements further.
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