A civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Wednesday, lambasted the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for squandering taxpayers’ resources on what the groups calls “meaningless international trips.”
HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, flayed Buhari for globetrotting for minor engagements, abandoning Nigeria and its citizens to wriggle in deep crisis.
Buhari on Tuesday embarked on a two-day state visit to Madrid, the capital city of Spain, according to his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina. With the trip, Buhari would have visited eight countries in the last five months in 2022 alone.
As confirmed by his spokesmen, the President had in May visited the United Arabs Emirate where he paid a condolence visit to the country over the loss of its immediate past leader, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nayan; Equatorial Guinea, where he attended the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union; and the Ivory Coast, where he attended the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
Buhari also visited Brussels, Belgium in February when he joined other world leaders for the 6th European Union-African Union Summit; Nairobi Kenya in March, where he attended the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Environmental Programme; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in February for the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Africa Union Heads of State and Government; and London, the United Kingdom in March, for a two-week medical check-up.
According to the 2022 budget, N3.57 billion was earmarked for Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for feeding and travel expenses.
The sum of N3.4 billion was approved for the offices of the two citizens of the country in 2021. A similar figure was approved in 2020 for the same purpose.
Travel and feeding for both men cost the country N1.5 billion in 2019; N1.52 billion in 2018; in 2017, N1.45 billion; and N1.43 billion in 2016.
Reacting, Onwubiko said, “The meaningless foreign trips of President Muhammadu Buhari which have no economic benefits is disturbing. These trips must stop as they are not exigent and are aimed at squandering taxpayers’ resources and for the President to find a phantom alibi for his monumental incompetence and rudderless political leadership style.
“By the end of 2021, Buhari had spent over 200 days on medical leave in the United Kingdom since 2015, despite that the Federal Ministry of Health has been allocated over N2.3 trillion from 2016 to date, while the State House Medical Centre has received over N6.2 billion, as stated on the website of the Budget Office of the Federation.
“Also, Buhari and his deputy have spent over N10 billion on foreign trips in the last seven years while the Academic Staff Union of Universities has perpetually been on strike, demanding their rightful entitlement.
“It is perplexing that the All Progressives Congress government prefers that tertiary students remain at home while billions are spent on frivolous foreign trips by the President and his Vice.
“It is more reprehensible that the President can be junketing to many countries of the world while Nigeria faces educational, economic, energy and severe security crises of all times. Nigeria’s currency is bleeding, manufacturers are bleeding due to increasing fuel price and those of raw materials. Epileptic power supply does not help matters. From the North to the South, innocent Nigerians are killed and kidnapped by terrorists and bandits while the President goes abroad at every given opportunity.
“Buhari should show leadership and not desert the people when his attention and presence are needed the most. Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has not left the country since the invasion by Russia in February 2022. The 44-year-old comedian-turned politician has gallantly been leading the troops from the front against Russian forces. That is leadership.
“What we have in Nigeria is however a contrast. Buhari must know that Nigeria is in a crisis and he should stay at home and fix the country. We thought the information that filtered in from one of the European Universities of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration being adopted as a model of how not to lead a nation will make President Muhammadu Buhari to turn a new leaf, but the President’s performance has become increasingly worrisome and burdensome.”
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