Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi,
has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s recent state visit to the United
Kingdom, saying foreign trips by national leaders should produce clear economic
benefits for citizens.
In a statement shared on social media, Obi said state
visits should not be treated as tourism or ceremonial outings, but as
opportunities to secure investments, technology transfer, trade deals,
industrial partnerships and jobs.
“State visits by leaders are not tourism, and
diplomacy is not a fashion parade,” Obi wrote.
According to him, every foreign trip undertaken by
government officials should bring measurable value to the people, especially at
a time when many Nigerians are battling economic hardship.
Obi argued that serious countries use diplomacy to
drive economic expansion and national productivity. He cited the recent visit
of United States President Donald Trump to China, claiming the American
delegation included top government officials as well as major business and
technology leaders.
He listed executives such as Elon Musk of Tesla and
SpaceX, Tim Cook of Apple, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Larry Fink of BlackRock,
Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone and Kelly Ortberg of Boeing as part of the
delegation.
Obi said the visit reportedly produced
multi-billion-dollar trade agreements, including orders for about 200 Boeing
aircraft.
“That is how serious nations approach diplomacy, by
aligning foreign policy with economic expansion, industrial growth, innovation,
and national productivity,” he stated.
The former Anambra State governor then questioned what
Nigeria gained from President Tinubu’s UK trip.
According to him, many Nigerians are still asking what
concrete economic benefits came from the visit despite the large number of
politicians, aides and government officials who reportedly travelled with the
president.
“A large entourage of politicians, aides, and
government officials travelled, yet Nigerians are still asking a simple
question: what exactly did Nigeria bring home?” Obi said.
He asked whether the visit secured new factories,
power agreements, technology partnerships, agricultural deals, industrial
investments or job opportunities for Nigerian youths.
Obi also questioned how many direct jobs would be
created from the trip and what measurable outcomes ordinary Nigerians could
point to.
He claimed the Nigerian delegation reportedly included
President Tinubu, the First Lady, 12 governors, nine ministers, seven members
of the National Assembly, over 20 senior State House staff, more than 30
security personnel, domestic staff and several supporters and associates.
“It is not enough to ride horses, wear matching
uniforms, attend royal banquets, and release glossy photographs. Symbolism
without substance cannot feed hungry citizens,” he wrote.
Obi said Nigeria is currently facing serious
challenges, including insecurity, food insecurity, unemployment, a weakened
naira, declining industrial productivity and worsening poverty.
He maintained that with millions of Nigerians
struggling to afford basic needs, every public fund spent on foreign trips must
produce tangible national value.
“At a time when millions of Nigerians struggle daily
to afford food and survive economic hardship, every kobo spent on foreign trips
must produce tangible national value: investments, factories, jobs, exports,
infrastructure, and economic opportunities,” he said.
Obi concluded by calling for leadership focused more
on productivity and measurable results than ceremony and public relations.
“Nigeria needs leadership that is focused less on
optics and more on productivity; less on ceremony and more on measurable
economic results,” he added.
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