By Ignatius Okorocha,Abuja <\/p>\n
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) expresses grave concern and mounting outrage over the persistent pattern of foreign travels by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing the trend as economically wasteful, strategically questionable, and dangerously disconnected from the urgent realities confronting Nigerians at home. <\/p>\n
HURIWA particularly expressed shock that the leader of Nigeria facing horrendous attacks from terrorists and bandits with over 300 citizens held as hostages of Islamic rebels in parts of North East and North Central state of Kwara, yet the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces has left to spend two weeks gallivanting around Africa and Europe attending less fancied and irrelevant functions instead of staying back to lead the counterterrorism war from the frontlines. <\/p>\n
At a time when the nation is reeling under crushing inflation, a volatile exchange rate, rising unemployment, deepening insecurity, and widespread social discontent, HURIWA finds it troubling that the highest office in the land appears increasingly preoccupied with external engagements whose benefits remain unclear, unquantified, and largely invisible to the average citizen.<\/p>\n
In a statement signed by group’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the Association questions the policy logic and cost-benefit value of the President\u2019s repeated overseas trips. What concrete investments have been secured? What binding agreements have translated into jobs, infrastructure, or economic relief? <\/p>\n
It further questions,”How many of these diplomatic outings have yielded measurable outcomes capable of justifying the enormous expenditure of public funds? Did President Tinubu not spend days in South Africa? Why are Nigerian citizens been attacked and killed by Black South African government appears complicit in the Xenophobic Violence against Nigerians and other blacks in South Africa.”<\/p>\n
HURIWA notes that each foreign trip undertaken by the President entails significant financial implications\u2014including the deployment of presidential aircraft, heavy security logistics, accommodation, estacodes, and large entourages\u2014costs ultimately borne by Nigerian taxpayers already stretched to the limit. In the face of subsidy removals, rising energy costs, and declining purchasing power, such expenditures, the group argues, are not only insensitive but indefensible.<\/p>\n
Even more concerning, according to HURIWA, is the perception that Nigeria is gradually being governed from abroad while critical domestic challenges worsen. From persistent security threats across multiple regions to policy inconsistencies and economic instability, the country requires a President who is visibly present, fully engaged, and relentlessly focused on internal governance.<\/p>\n
HURIWA emphasizes that effective leadership, especially in times of national strain, is not symbolic\u2014it is practical, visible, and grounded in direct engagement with the people and institutions that drive change. Nigeria, the Association insists, cannot afford a leadership model that prioritizes international optics over local impact.<\/p>\n
The group further questions the diplomatic reciprocity of these engagements, asking how many world leaders have deemed it necessary to visit Nigeria in return, and what this imbalance says about the strategic value of such travels.<\/p>\n
HURIWA is not opposed to international diplomacy. However, it insists that foreign engagements must be purposeful, limited, and directly tied to clearly defined national interests with verifiable outcomes. Anything short of this, the Association warns, amounts to governance by optics rather than results.<\/p>\n
In light of the foregoing, HURIWA calls on President Tinubu to immediately recalibrate his approach to governance by drastically reducing non-essential foreign trips and redirecting his energy toward resolving Nigeria\u2019s pressing internal crises. <\/p>\n
The country needs bold economic reforms, decisive security interventions, and coherent governance\u2014not an endless cycle of international appearances.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mandate given to President Tinubu is clear: to fix Nigeria. That responsibility cannot be outsourced, postponed, or pursued from foreign capitals. It requires presence, commitment, and sustained domestic focus,\u201d the statement stressed.<\/p>\n
HURIWA reiterates that history will judge leadership not by miles travelled across continents, but by measurable improvements in the lives of citizens. At this critical juncture, Nigeria demands results\u2014not rhetoric, not symbolism, and certainly not excessive globetrotting.<\/p>\n
The Association reaffirms its unwavering commitment to advocacy, accountability, and the protection of the collective interests of Nigerians.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Ignatius Okorocha,Abuja The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) expresses grave concern and mounting outrage over the persistent pattern of foreign travels by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing the trend as economically wasteful, strategically questionable, and dangerously disconnected from the urgent realities confronting Nigerians at home. HURIWA particularly expressed shock that the leader […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13307"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13308,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13307\/revisions\/13308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}