President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has left Nigeria for a three-week vacation in Europe, with his media aide, Sunday Dare, saying the President needs time to “refuel” after months of intense governance.
Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, said Tinubu’s leave was well deserved, citing what he described as major decisions taken by the administration on security, the economy and other national issues.
According to Dare, the President would remain in touch with developments at home throughout the trip, receiving regular briefings from ministers, service chiefs and other officials.
He said the vacation was also timely ahead of the coming campaign season, which he said would involve four to five months of intense political activity while governance continues.
But former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has slammed the President’s decision to travel at a time he described as one of deep economic hardship and insecurity.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, said the country was facing a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership,” arguing that the President’s priority should be addressing the problems confronting Nigerians.
“Leadership is not merely the constitutional right to occupy an office; it is the judgment to know when your country needs you at home,” Atiku said in a statement posted on his social media accounts.
He pointed to high petrol prices, rising food and transport costs and insecurity, saying millions of Nigerians were struggling while the President was leaving the country for three weeks.
Atiku also questioned the timing of the trip, noting that Vice-President Kashim Shettima was already outside Nigeria on official duty at the African Union summit in Luanda, Angola.
Using a fire analogy, Atiku said: “A father may travel when all is well. But when his roof is burning and his family is trapped inside, he does not pick up his suitcase and head for the airport.”
He added that the controversy was not about whether a president should rest or travel, but whether the timing was appropriate given the challenges facing the country.
“Millions of Nigerians are being grounded by hardship while their President is airborne,” Atiku said.
While the Presidency insists Tinubu remains engaged with affairs of state despite his vacation, Atiku argues that the President should be physically present to confront the country’s mounting challenges.
The clash has once again put Tinubu’s leadership, economic policies and handling of Nigeria’s current difficulties at the centre of political debate.
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