Sowore made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, as the president continued his two-day visit – the first official trip by a Nigerian leader to the UK in nearly four decades
Human rights lawyer and African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to the United Kingdom, describing it as a “diplomatic excursion” with no real benefit to Nigeria.
Sowore made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, as the president continued his two-day visit – the first official trip by a Nigerian leader to the UK in nearly four decades.
He also suggested that the trip may have underlying personal reasons, including health concerns.
“These visits are nothing more than diplomatic excursions. Perhaps the president will also see his doctors; he has not travelled in about a month,” he said.
Sowore argued that the publicity surrounding the visit does not translate into meaningful gains for the country.
“Beyond the fanfare you are seeing on TV, it’s not bringing anything to Nigeria that Nigeria cannot get or should not have. That’s the point I’m making, and we are just deceiving ourselves all the time by saying this time we travel,” he said.
He further faulted the Tinubu administration’s claim that the trips are meant to attract foreign investment, insisting that there have been no visible outcomes since the president assumed office in May 2023.
“The cost of these travels is far more at the end, outweighing whatever we come from the so-called investment they claim is going to happen,” he said.
“If you have it right, investors will come to your country. You don’t need to travel,” he added, noting that Nigeria is “just burning fuel in the air with our aircraft.”
Sowore also compared the economic impact of the president’s trips to that of Nigerian entertainers, claiming the latter generate more value abroad.
“Sometimes, some of these our musicians who go and perform in the UK bring more money into the country than when the president travels to the UK or anywhere,” he said.
President Tinubu and the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, arrived at London’s Stansted Airport on Tuesday for the visit.
The trip includes a meeting with King Charles III and bilateral talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
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