Working visits are not the same as state visits where the host/home government usually foots the bills of the visiting head of state and those of his delegation of personnel. If Tinubu is indeed on an official visit, it simply means he might have been receiving estacodes together with his delegation since August 29, when he departed Abuja for China. Again, since it is an official visit and he is having a medical consultation or treatment abroad as alleged, will taxpayers' money not be used in covering his medical cost, except he declines? We have to ask because his trip is not a private visit.
Tinubu's estacode should be nothing less than $2,000. That is the amount the Chief Justice of the Federation receives as estacode per night, whereas the senate president receives an estacode of $1,300, according to the latest disaggregation by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). Imagine Tinubu and his officials receiving estacodes since August 29 to date. That means millions of taxpayers' money. Mind you, we are not yet talking about the cost of accommodation.
There are Nigerian guest houses in the United Kingdom, like the ones a Chinese firm sought to take over following arbitration award after a failed free trade zone agreement with Ogun State. If Tinubu wants to reduce the cost of governance as he claims he does, he would use a Nigerian house there just like Buhari did sometimes, but Tinubu does not stay at the Nigerian house in his foreign trips. The last time he was in New York, where Nigeria has a diplomatic property, for the United Nations General Assembly 78th Session, UNGA 78, 2023, Tinubu stayed in an expensive hotel known as St. Regis Hotel where he allegedly blew over $400,000, including over $50,000 paid for incidentals for the president and his travelling party.
Lastly, Tinubu's meeting with King Charles (not listed as a state visit) could likely be the reason Ajaero was stopped from jetting off to the United Kingdom last week. If Ajaero had spoken on Nigeria's anti-labour clampdowns under Tinubu's repressive government, that would not have only portrayed the Tinubu-led government in a negative light but would have equally cast a negative foreshadow to his meeting with Charles.
There is also news that Tinubu may not return to the country soon as he would likely proceed from London to New York for the United Nations General Assembly 79th Session. So, we should be asking how much will this cost the nation? How many people travelled with Tinubu who are likely receiving estacodes?
Let us forget about the terrorist attack in Yobe, the flood disaster in Maiduguri, abduction and the recent killings in Zamfara and elsewhere, and all that happened while Tinubu was away. Since the days of Buhari, it is unheard of that a Nigerian president shelved a foreign trip due to a pressing domestic issue. While reducing the number of his travelling party, as he recently did, is welcome, reducing the number of his overseas trips will save the nation some expenses.
There is the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa later in October this year, there is also the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan after the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, CHOGM later in November this year too. So, in all, Tinubu will likely be busy till the end of the year. He may not even spend up to one month in the country from October through November.
Tinubu will do us a favour by making some of his trips private, to save cost. He should also state his reason for travelling, even Buhari's handlers told Nigerians he was on medical consultation or treatment abroad the times Buhari travelled outside the country. Then, if he, Tinubu, is to embark on a private visit, let the needful be done. Let him hand over briefs to the vice president. I wish him well. That's all.
Nnamdi Elekwachi.
Historian, public and current affairs analyst.
I am off to Timbuktu 🚶🐪...
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