Presidents and other heads of government across the world travel out of their countries to strengthen diplomatic relationships, participate in global summits and forums, promote business interests, negotiate trade, security or defence agreements, and attract foreign investments, among others.

So, when it comes to foreign travels, Nigerian leaders are not alone because their counterparts across the globe do the same.

However, the rate at which Nigerian presidents jet out of the country – with little or nothing to show for it – has become not only a drain on the country’s meagre resources, but a puzzle to many Nigerians as to the benefit of such trips.

Since the advent of the Fourth Republic, successive presidents have taken to the penchant of attending every conference or summit they are invited to.  On many occasions, the trips were taken to the detriment of urgent domestic issues that required the presence of the president.

It seems President Bola Tinubu has just continued from where his predecessors started. In his less than two years in office, he has visited 12 countries spending 58 days outside Nigeria in 2023 alone.

Some of them included a trip to London on June 20, 2023, France on June 24, Guinea Bissau on July 8, Kenya on July 15, Republic of Benin on August 1, India September 4 from where he went to the United Arab Emirate, on September17.

He was also at the UN General Assembly in New York from where he again went to France for a short break. On November 9, he was in Saudi-Arabia for the Saudi-Africa summit, and on November 16, he left Saudi Arabia and went to Guinea Bissau to celebrate the country’s 50th independence anniversary.

In 2024, the president travelled to 17 countries, starting with France on a private visit on January 24, followed by a visit to Ethiopia on February 15 and Qatar on February 29. He was in Senegal for the inauguration of the new president on April 2, Netherlands on April 23, and Saudi Arabia on April 28, among others.

The tally showed that the president spent 84 days outside Nigeria in 2024.

This year alone, he had visited Ghana, United Arab Emirates and Tanzania, which he returned just at the weekend. In total, President Tinubu had spent 150 days of the 590 days of his presidency outside the country.

Last year, when President Tinubu decided not to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, allowing Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation, so as “to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding,” many Nigerians hailed the president for “leading by example”.

But that was short-lived when less than two weeks after shelving the 79th UNGA in New York, Tinubu travelled out to the United Kingdom where he stayed for nine days before proceeding to Paris, France, “for an important engagement” as announced then by his political aide Ibrahim Masari.

Opposition parties had raised concern over the frequent trips, accusing Tinubu of being   more interested in globetrotting than addressing the numerous pressing issues in the country. The presidency, however, countered the opposition, noting that as a leader working to bring foreign investments into the country, Tinubu couldn’t afford to sit back “when the harvest was out there.”

While it is inevitable for any leader of a country to travel out to discuss bilateral or multilateral issues with his peers, it is also necessary for him to balance that against national issues that require his attention at home. Again, the president should be circumspect about attending some of such events which may require just a representation by a minister or our envoy. That will help shore up Nigeria’s image in the international arena.

The recent statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, that Nigeria is rich enough to fund the frequent foreign trips embarked upon by President Ahmed Tinubu is rather unfortunate.

He said Tinubu, contrary to the complaints, even needed to embark on more trips because of the strategic importance and inherent benefits to the country.

We at the Daily Trust believe that Nigeria would be more recognised and taken seriously by the international community if it is able to address the myriads of problems facing the nation. What is required now is for the leadership to fix the economy and make the country more attractive to those investors we keep chasing around with little result.

The president and his team should know that no foreign investor will like to come and invest in Nigeria with the prevailing economic chaos in the country, ranging from decaying infrastructure, poor electricity and pervasive insecurity.  The president should pause and ask why some international businesses are leaving the country, sometimes in favour of lesser-known entities.

As one of the first steps, we call on the president to hasten the appointing of ambassadors to help project the country to their hosts. They will also monitor and provide a follow-up to the numerous agreements we have entered with other countries.

We urge the president to appreciate the fact that his presence in the country is more than symbolic. Nigerians want a leader that is always with them through thick and thin; not the one that is ready to abandon them at the slightest opportunity under the guise of seeking foreign investors.