*Insists Nigeria’s leadership should focus on productivity, not ceremony
*Says diplomacy shouldn’t be reduced to symbolic displays
Chuks Okocha in Abuja
The former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has queried the economic benefits of President Bola Tinubu’s foreign trips, saying that the United States President Donald Trump secured deals worth billions of dollars from China.Obi argued that foreign trips by government officials must deliver tangible economic benefits to Nigerians.According to him, foreign engagements by the Nigerian leaders must translate into measurable economic benefits for the citizens.While Trump has returned to Washington after two days of talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, Tinubu just returned to Nigeria from a three-nation visit to France, Kenya, and Rwanda.
During Tinubu’s visit to France, he met with global investors and defended his administration’s economic reforms.He also attended the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, co-hosted by President Emmanuel Macron and President William Ruto.While in Nairobi, Tinubu held a bilateral meeting with Madagascan leader Michael Randrianirina. In Kigali, Rwanda, the Nigerian leader joined other African presidents, investors, and chief executives at the Africa CEO Forum to discuss ways of accelerating Africa’s economic transformation through regional integration and cross-border investments. Reacting in a post on his X handle yesterday, Obi said state visits by leaders and diplomacy must produce measurable gains for citizens.
