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Callers on two private radio stations in Calabar have urged President Bola Tinubu to cut down on frequent foreign trips, accusing him of wasting scarce national resources.
President Tinubu spent some two weeks in Japan and Brazil with a very large entourage two weeks ago.
A month before, he was in France and the UK on medical grounds. Today, he flew out to Europe for another two-week holiday.
During early morning phone-in programmes on Sparkling FM and FAD FM, many participants faulted the president’s constant travels abroad, urging him instead to patronise tourist destinations within Nigeria.
One asked: Why can’t the president visit his own village or other states?
“Incessant foreign travels drain the nation’s resources,” one caller said, echoing the sentiments of several others.
Effiom Otu, a caller from Akamkpa, argued that the president has spent more time overseas than in Nigerian states.
“The president hardly visits states or spends a night here. Yet he prefers Europe and other countries for holidays.
We have Obudu Mountain Resort, which he even directed Governor Bassey Otu to refurbish for his use. Let him come to Obudu. It is called our own Camp David, fit for him,” he said.
Similarly, David Imoh from Akpabuyo LGA invited Tinubu to experience nature’s gifts in Obudu, stressing that such a gesture would promote Nigeria’s image.
“If the president holidays here, it will encourage foreign leaders and dignitaries to appreciate what God has given us. But instead, he wastes resources on weekly foreign trips. Can a U.S. president afford to spend two weeks on holiday in another country?” he asked.
Imoh further noted that the money expended on the president’s travels could rehabilitate long-abandoned federal roads in Cross River and Akwa Ibom, including the dilapidated Calabar-Uyo highway.
Chief Akpan Ime from Calabar South also criticised the timing of the president’s trips, saying the economic hardships facing families were worsening as schools prepare to reopen.
“Youths are unemployed, and parents are struggling to raise money for fees and books as schools resume next week. These foreign trips are an insult to our suffering,” he lamented.
