PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is scheduled to depart Nigeria for what the presidency described as a two-week working visit to Paris, France today, Wednesday, April 2.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday, April 2, Tinubu will use the retreat to evaluate ongoing reforms and strategise on ways to accelerate national development in the coming year.
It also noted that the president is expected to assess his administration’s midterm performance and review key reforms ahead of his second year in office.
The latest trip to Paris, while described as a working visit, adds to the long list of presidential travels that critics argue contradict Tinubu’s calls for austerity among Nigerians.
“He will also use the retreat to review the progress of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning ahead of his administration’s second anniversary.
“This period of reflection will inform plans to deepen ongoing reforms and accelerate national development priorities in the coming year,” the statement added.
The visit comes amid the ongoing widespread economic hardship in Nigeria, with inflation and the cost of living still high due to the removal of fuel subsidies and currency unification policies introduced under Tinubu’s administration.
While the government has repeatedly insisted these policies are necessary for economic recovery, they have triggered protests, including a 10-day demonstration against rising food prices in August 2024.
In November 2024, The ICIR reported that despite urging Nigerians to endure the economic difficulties, Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima came under criticism for their spending on foreign trips and allowances.
An analysis by The ICIR revealed that the presidency had spent over N6.8 billion on foreign trips and related expenses within the year 2024, with the president himself as at the time, embarking on at least 17 foreign trips since assuming office in May 2023.
Additionally, Tinubu and Shettima received N1.7 billion each as honorarium outside their official salaries in 2024, an amount that could cover the monthly wages of over 24,000 civil servants earning the national minimum wage of N70,000.
The president’s previous international visits have included engagements at the United Nations General Assembly, the G-20 Summit in India, and bilateral meetings in China, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M