Paul Ibe, a media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Presidency over what he described as a growing pattern of failing to disclose the return dates of President Bola Tinubu’s foreign trips.
The Eagle Online reports that President Tinubu is expected to depart Abuja on Monday, January 26, for a state visit to Turkey, which the Presidency described as a multi-day diplomatic engagement.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Presidential Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said the visit is aimed at strengthening cordial relations between both countries and exploring further cooperation in security, education, social development, innovation and aviation.
He added that the trip would also feature strategic political and diplomatic engagements focused on shared values in finance, communication, trade and investment.
According to the statement, the agenda includes meetings between senior officials of both nations, as well as the signing of memoranda of understanding in areas such as scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military cooperation and protocol.
However, the Presidency did not disclose the President’s return date, stating only that Tinubu would be back “at the conclusion of the visit.”
Reacting on Monday via his X handle, Ibe questioned what he described as a lack of transparency surrounding the President’s travel schedule.
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“What is this new trend of not giving a date of the return of the President whenever he is travelling out?” he asked.
He added a sarcastic remark on the open-ended nature of such trips, suggesting it could allow for unscheduled stopovers, saying 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.”
