President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima have embarked on separate foreign trips, sparking criticism from opposition figures who argue that Nigeria is being left “on auto-pilot.”
On Wednesday, President Tinubu departed for France on a two-week working visit.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said the trip would allow Tinubu to assess his administration’s mid-term performance, review ongoing reforms, and strategise ahead of his government’s second anniversary.
Less than 24 hours later, Vice President Shettima left for Senegal to attend the country’s 65th Independence Anniversary celebrations at the invitation of Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima’s spokesman, in a statement, described the trip as a gesture of the strong bilateral ties between Nigeria and Senegal.
Shettima is expected to return today.
A recurring trend
This is not the first time both leaders have been out of the country simultaneously.
In October 2023, Tinubu travelled to the UK and later France, while Shettima represented Nigeria in Sweden.
Similarly, between April and May 2023, Tinubu attended the World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia and visited the Netherlands, while Shettima was in Kenya for the IDA21 Summit.
The absence of both leaders has drawn sharp criticism from opposition figures.
Bode George, a PDP chieftain and former Deputy National Chairman, accused Tinubu of neglecting Nigeria’s pressing challenges.
In a statement, George lamented that the nation was “staggering on the path of self-destruction,” warning that current leaders risk repeating the mistakes that led to the collapse of past republics.
He said the reason for the President’s trip to France was best known to him and his handlers.
He also accused the present crop of leaders of closing their ears to reasoning and deliberately coming out with policies capable of disintegrating the country.
Paul Ibe, spokesman for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, took to Facebook to mock the situation, posting pictures of Tinubu and Shettima with the caption: “Nigeria on autopilot. It is a season of porting!”
The Presidency has dismissed concerns about a leadership vacuum, insisting that governance continues uninterrupted. In a previous statement, Bayo Onanuga emphasized that the Constitution does not mandate the physical presence of the President or Vice President at all times.
“All state organs are functioning as usual. The Senate President, SGF, Ministers, and Service Chiefs are in their respective positions, ensuring smooth operations,” the statement read.
Efforts to get fresh comments from the Presidency were unsuccessful, as Onanuga and Special Adviser Daniel Bwala did not respond to calls or messages.
The Presidency cited a similar situation in 2022 when former President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo were abroad simultaneously-Buhari at the UN General Assembly and Osinbajo at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
