President Tinubu Returns After Two week Working Leave

By Ayodele Oni

President Bola Tinubu returned to the country on Saturday evening after a two-week working leave.

A report monitored on the NTA News indicated that the president was received at the Abuja airport by top government officials and aides.

President Tinubu commenced a two week working leave on October 2, and departed Abuja for the United Kingdom. The presidency had explained that the two week leave is, part of the President’s yearly leave.

Bayo Onanuga, special Adviser  on Information and Strategy, stated that the president will use the two weeks as a working vacation and a retreat to reflect on his administration’s economic reforms.

The president, during the working leave had reported to have left UK for France with the presidency defending that he was free to choose where he would spent his leave.

The vice president, Kashim Shettima also traveled out of the country to Sweden during the week for an official engagement.

The absence of the two leaders had generated reactions from opposition especially Peter Obi, of the Labour Party (LP) who faulted the absence of the two leaders from the country.

Obi,  knocked President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for their simultaneous foreign trip, leaving numerous domestic issues unaddressed.

He stated that “While it is arguable that with the President and Vice President absent from the Villa , there is no vacancy in the Presidency, in a situation where both the President and Vice President are out of the country, as reported in the media, it’s concerning for a country with such myriads of domestic problems.

“The President had told us he would only be gone for 14 days. The 14 days have passed now, and we are waiting to see him in the country.

“One would have expected him to return earlier than expected, considering the volume of work that needs to be done in a troubled nation like ours.

“The untold hardship that has been unleashed on our people as a result of some of his administration’s policies is unimaginable and we need his urgent attention to pilot the nation out of this present situation.

“Again, since the President is reportedly in Paris, France, which is just about 833 nautical miles from Stockholm, Sweden, one wonders why he did not just attend the 2-day working visit to Sweden. He could simply have done it on his way back from France with his new powerful jet, which would have taken him a little over 2 hours.

“This would have saved time and the very scarce national resources we need critically at this time. Instead, he delegated the Vice President, who needed to travel 3055 nautical miles, over nine hours, and (about 4 times the travel time from Paris) Abuja, Nigeria, to Stockholm, Sweden, to represent him at the event. It would take about 4 times the time and distance it takes to travel from Paris to Stockholm to travel from Abuja to Stockholm.

“This does not represent the kind of fiscal responsibility and common sense that is expected of leaders whose people are facing severe hunger and poverty.

However, special adviser to the president on media and strategy, Bayo Onanuga had argued that government activities were ongoing despite the absence of the president and his vice.