Atiku’s Aide Tasks Presidency on Tinubu’s Frequent Trips
Paul Ibe, media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Presidency over what he described as a recurring failure to disclose the return dates of President Bola Tinubu’s foreign trips.
President Tinubu is scheduled to depart Abuja on Monday, January 26, 2026, for a state visit to the Republic of Turkey. The Presidency described the trip as a multi-day diplomatic engagement aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Nigeria and Turkey.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the Presidential Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, the visit was said to focus on deepening cooperation in areas such as security, education, social development, innovation and aviation.
The statement added that Tinubu would hold strategic political and diplomatic discussions with Turkish officials on shared interests in finance, communication, trade and investment.
According to the Presidency, the agenda for the visit includes meetings with top government officials in Turkey and the signing of several memoranda of understanding covering scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military collaboration and protocol, among others.
However, the statement did not specify the President’s return date, noting only that he would return “at the conclusion of the visit.”
Reacting on Monday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Ibe questioned the lack of clarity surrounding the President’s travel schedule, describing it as a growing pattern under the current administration.
“What is this new trend of not giving a date of the return of the President whenever he is travelling out?” Ibe asked.
He further criticised what he termed a lack of transparency, making a sarcastic remark that the open-ended nature of such trips could allow for unscheduled stopovers. He suggested that it might be to determine “if a few days in France to lounge and drink Pina Colada with the French squad can be squeezed in.”
