PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja today, Wednesday, October 2, for the United Kingdom to begin a two-week vacation as part of his yearly leave.
According to a statement from presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday, Tinubu’s trip to the UK is not only for rest but also a ‘working vacation,’ which he said was aimed at reflecting on the economic reforms undertaken by his administration.
“He will use the two weeks as a working vacation and a retreat to reflect on his administration’s economic reforms.
“He will return to the country after the leave expires,” Onanuga wrote in a statement posted on his X handle.
The President’s leave comes at a critical time when Nigeria is grappling with economic challenges, due to policy changes, including the removal of fuel subsidies and reforms in the foreign exchange market.
The ICIR reported that Tinubu stopped fuel subsidy on the day he took over power on May 29, 2023, and subsequently devalued the local currency – the naira – thus causing a spiral hike in food and commodity prices.
While the President admitted the economic hardship his policies and reforms had caused, he recently noted that the reforms were beginning to yield positive results.
In his October 1st, Independence Day commemoration address, Tinubu said that his administration had secured over $30 billion in foreign direct investments into the nation since he took over power.
However, The ICIR reports that his claims conflict with the rising inflation and a hike in the cost of living that have pushed many citizens into despair.
Many Nigerians have also claimed that these strides have not translated into a visible improvement in their lives, stressing that the hardships had rather worsened.
The ICIR reported that some Nigerians trooped to the streets of Lagos and Abuja, to protest what they described as “the hardships, privations, hunger, unemployment, insecurity, and poverty” that the Tinubu administration foisted on the nation.
The October 1 protest followed a similar demonstration in August.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M