Following a PREMIUM TIMES exposé on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s abandonment of work for a fun trip to Grenada for days, the Lagos State helmsman has been making frantic efforts to misinform and mislead citizens and residents to believe he travelled to the Island for ‘state business’.
In a tweet on his official X account @jidesanwoolu, which was later edited multiple times, Mr Sanwo-Olu suggested he travelled on purpose to Grenada to advance the economic interests of his state.
“Last weekend in St. George’s, I presented Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell with a miniature of the Blue Line Rail and we engaged in extensive discussions on various aspects of our bilateral relations, focusing particularly on tourism, agriculture, and other economic interests that could benefit both our regions.
“Prime Minister Mitchell also shared exciting plans for Grenada’s upcoming 50th anniversary celebrations in February. It was a productive and enriching exchange, setting the stage for deeper collaboration between our regions,” he tweeted.
In subsequent edits of the post, he admitted attending some social events while in Grenada. He was, however, not specific on the events he attended.
“Additionally, I had the opportunity to attend several social events, further strengthening the ties between our two nations,” Mr Sanwo-Olu added in one of the edits.
However, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report that Mr Sanwo-Olu was not in Grenada for official duties. Rather, he travelled there specifically to attend a series of lavish parties organised by Abuja-based businesswoman and socialite, Aisha Achimugu, who was celebrating her 50th birthday.
According to sources, who were also in Grenada for the birthday party, the photographs of Mr Sanwo-Olu and Prime Minister Mitchell, which the governor is using as evidence of his ‘bilateral talks’, were images taken during a meeting planned while Mr Sanwo-Olu was already in Grenada.
Prime Minister Mitchell attended one of the numerous events of Mrs Achimugu’s birthday festivity. He was by her side when she cut her elaborate peacock-like cake. Mr Sanwo-Olu was at the event too. It is unclear if that was where they first connected.
Mrs Achimugu recently obtained Grenadian passport through that country’s Citizenship By Investment programme and is regarded there as a hugely successful businessperson. The millions of dollars she spent on her weeklong birthday festivity on the Island were more than enough incentives for top government officials in that tiny country to want to meet her and her delegation.
A visit to the official Facebook page of the Office of the Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell, which updates official activities of the PM, did not bear evidence of the Lagos State governor’s ‘official visit’.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that while attending the “several social events” held to commemorate Mrs Achimugu’s birthday, Mr Sanwo-Olu consciously avoided being photographed. But as hard as he tried, he was caught in some shots.
The Lagos State governor only returned to Nigeria Wednesday morning after spending days on the Caribbean Island. While away, many officials of his government did not know his whereabouts for days.
Mr Sanwo-Olu did not answer calls made to him by one of our reporters seeking his comments on this matter. He also did not respond to a message sent to him on the matter. Below are the questions we wanted to ask him. We await his response.
Questions Mr Sanwo-Olu should answer
– If the travel was official, were there correspondences between the governments of Grenada and Lagos State with detailed plans and purposes of meetings to be held in the country, and which culminated in the governor’s visit to that country?
– Was the trip on Mr Sanwo-Olu’s official itinerary as governor? Why was the trip not announced beforehand or documented in Lagos State’s records?
– Since the governor claims his visit to the Island was official, who are the officials of the Lagos government who accompanied him on the trip? Which media organisations or journalists were on his delegation?
– Who paid for Mr Sanwo-Olu’s flights, lodging and other expenses in Grenada? The governor will do well to furnish Nigerians with documentary evidence(s).
– How come the Lagos State helmsman (who governs a state of more than 13.5 million people) needed a week in Grenada, a country of about 125,000 (one hundred and twenty-five thousand) people, to meet with the Island’s prime minister even when he travelled there by private jet?
– In what specific ways will the trip benefit Lagos State?
PREMIUM TIMES
