The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what it calls an “excessive foreign travel culture,” claiming he has spent almost a quarter of his presidency outside the country.

The presidency on Wednesday announced that Tinubu will jet out of the country on a two-nation trip that will take him to Japan and Brazil on Thursday.

In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by Bolaji Abdullahi, its national publicity secretary, the party said the president’s latest journey marks his 40th international trip in 26 months, amounting to about 181 days abroad, the equivalent of nearly six months.

“This means that in the 26 months he has been President, nearly 25% of his time has been spent outside the country,” the ADC said. “During this trip, President Tinubu is on track to make his 41st international stop before setting foot in most Nigerian states. Since inauguration, President Tinubu has only visited 13 out of 36 states, but has visited more foreign countries during the same period. This is not good.”

The opposition party argued that the trips have yielded “no real economic gains” despite “billions of naira spent per day and per trip.” It added that the president’s frequent absence comes at a time of worsening insecurity, rising poverty, and a growing child malnutrition crisis.

“From Benue to Zamfara and other parts of our country, taxes are being imposed by bandits, citizens are being slaughtered in their homes, millions are facing economic hardship and the population of malnourished children has continued to grow,” the statement read. “Nigerians expect their President to be on ground to provide leadership, empathy, and direction.”

The ADC also linked Tinubu’s extended absences to rumours about his health, noting that he was out of public view for more than a week in early August, sparking speculation before the presidency dismissed concerns.

“Rumour of a sick president, or even mere conversations that could raise doubts about the state of the President’s health are potentially damaging to the economy, could discourage potential investors, further embolden our enemies,” Abdullahi said. “A one-day cameo appearance that looked stage-managed, followed immediately by yet another foreign trip, without a clearly stated date of return is not going to help in quelling such rumours.”

The party suggested that if Tinubu had appointed ambassadors, he would not need to personally attend every international meeting. “For avoidance of doubts, all these meetings, even with the best of intentions, are not likely to yield any real benefits to Nigeria without ambassadors to follow up on agreements reached,” it stated.

“Nigeria deserves a President who is present. While millions of our citizens are suffering, our leaders cannot afford to treat governance like a part-time job. (BusinessDay)