• Shun speculations, Afenifere chieftain says
• ‘Why administration can’t be different from Buhari’s’
Acting leader of pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, yesterday, urged Nigerians to shun speculations and accept reasons the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, gave for his trip to France.
Tinubu had, again, jetted out of the country to Europe, ahead of his May 29 inauguration.
According to a statement by his aide, Tunde Rahman, Tinubu was billed to meet with investors and key allies in business during his trip to Europe.
This is coming two weeks after the President-elect returned to the country from a trip to the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and France.
Rahman, in a statement, said: “President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday afternoon, left Nigeria for Europe on a working visit. He will use opportunity of the trip to fine-tune transition plans and programmes, and his policy options with some of his key aides without unnecessary pressures and distractions.
“During the visit, the President-elect will engage with investors and other key allies, with the goal of marketing investment opportunities in the country and his administration’s readiness to enable a business-friendly climate through policies and regulations.
“Already, meetings with multi-sectoral actors in Europe’s business community, including manufacturing, agriculture, tech, and energy have been lined up.”
Adebanjo said, since Tinubu hasn’t informed anyone he was traveling on health grounds, there is no reason to panic. He added: “He must have his reasons for travelling. So, there is no harm in traveling when he finds it necessary. We have to believe what he says. Don’t let us speculate about him.”
On her part, Chief Strategist, Winstarbel Communications Limited, Thelma Okoh, said since Tinubu hasn’t been sworn in, it is within his rights to travel wherever he wants and at any time.
“He had a rigorous campaign. He has a right to his privacy, and until he is sworn in, he is not yet our president; he is still president-elect.
“Maybe, he is using this time to manage his health or he is even working on his personal businesses, to make things work out seamlessly, when he is eventually sworn in on May 29.
“Whether he has travelled for pleasure, tourism or health reasons, it shouldn’t be used against him, since he is not yet the president. He still has his time to himself. Probably, he has gone to engage Nigerians in diaspora. Even if we try to use it against him, can we leave out our people (Nigerians) who are in diaspora from his new agenda? They are also key players in the growth of the economy.”
Legal practitioner, Wale Irokuso, said Tinubu’s trip should not be a thing Nigerians would panic about, noting that people should be concerned about policies he is bringing on board.
He said: “The truth of the matter is, someone traveling abroad is nothing out of the ordinary. And I don’t know why anybody is making a fuss about it. There’s no serious-minded person in Nigeria, in business, that doesn’t move in and out of the country frequently.”
However, the President, Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR), Alex Omotehinse, said he doesn’t foresee any difference between Tinubu’s administration and President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
He said: “It is obvious that the man is not 100 per cent okay, health wise. During the electioneering campaign, there were several reports that he travelled for medicals. Now, he hasn’t been sworn in, he is already traveling. In the history of this country, Buhari was outside the country for four months to treat his ailment. Is that what we are going to nurse again in the next administration?”
THEGUARDIAN
