By James Adamu
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 elections, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to embark on another overseas holiday while Nigeria faces deepening insecurity and economic hardship.
President Tinubu departed Abuja on Sunday, August 30, 2026, for a three-week annual leave in Europe, with London, United Kingdom, as his first destination.
The Presidency described the trip as a “working vacation,” with Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga stating that Tinubu is expected to return to join the “hectic campaign” for the January 2027 election.
This marks the President’s third annual leave since assuming office in May 2023.
The Presidency did not disclose the full European itinerary beyond confirming London as the first stop.
In a statement on Monday, Obi questioned the government’s priorities, citing reports that the Presidency spent ₦37,639,227,853.51 on presidential trips and travel-related expenses between June 2023 and April 2026.
According to an analysis by GovSpend, a public expenditure accountability platform, the expenditure breakdown is as follows: June to December 2023 – ₦9.19 billion; 2024 – ₦25.27 billion (highest spending year); 2025 – ₦2.71 billion; and January to April 2026 – ₦477.45 million.
The spending was driven largely by foreign exchange allocations and funding for the Presidential Air Fleet.
Before his latest departure, Tinubu had undertaken 51 foreign trips, visiting at least 30 countries and spending approximately 261 days outside Nigeria.
The latest vacation marks his 52nd foreign trip since taking office.
France has been his most frequently visited destination, followed by the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.
His first foreign trip as President was to Paris in June 2023 for the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact.
Obi expressed particular concern over the timing of the President’s vacation, noting that about 600 Nigerians — predominantly women, children and elderly persons — were reportedly abducted during Juma’at prayers in Niger State just days before Tinubu’s departure.
“Yet, at this critical moment, the President has left the country for another holiday,” Obi said.
He also highlighted a stark contrast in government funding priorities, alleging that only ₦36 million was released to the Federal Ministry of Health in 2025 despite a capital allocation of ₦218 billion.
“A government that can spend tens of billions on presidential travel while critical sectors remain starved of funds, and Nigerians are asked to endure worsening hardship, must not be allowed to continue,” Obi added.
Rather than travelling abroad, Obi suggested presidential holidays could be spent in destinations across Nigeria, including Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Cross River, Bauchi and Ebonyi states.
He argued that the President should serve as Nigeria’s “chief marketer” of tourism, saying increased domestic tourism could create jobs and support businesses in hospitality, transportation, agriculture and entertainment sectors.
“We cannot continue to export our wealth and import our pleasures while our own enormous potential remains neglected,” Obi said.
He concluded that Nigerians deserved “leadership that puts Nigeria first,” adding that this was the kind of leadership his partnership with former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso would bring in 2027.
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