The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s frequent foreign travels, insisting that the President’s experience, exposure and international connections enable him to achieve in a single day what others may not accomplish in an entire year.
Yilwatda made the remarks on Sunday night while speaking with Daily Trust amid rising criticism from civil society organisations and opposition parties over the President’s prolonged stays outside the country.
“Because of his experience, exposure and connections, what he can connect in one day will take most of us years to gain and achieve,” Yilwatda said.
He described Tinubu’s trips as sacrifices undertaken in the national interest, arguing that the President was travelling to attract investments, negotiate bilateral agreements and work on security issues.
“For this man to sacrifice for this country, to move around, attract investment, work on security and negotiate bilateral agreements, should we take that for granted?” he asked.
Tinubu’s Trips In January 2026
The APC chairman also accused the media and opposition parties of selectively counting the President’s travels while ignoring those of other top government officials.
“It is only when the president travels that it is counted as travelling. How many times has the vice president travelled? The vice president went to Davos; it was not counted. He went to Switzerland and travelled to two countries this January,” Yilwatda said.
Naija News reports that despite the defence by the APC leadership, a review of President Tinubu’s officially announced foreign trips shows that he spent 22 days outside Nigeria in January 2026 alone.
Within the month, the President visited France, the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Türkiye.
Tinubu began the year in Paris, where he spent the first 10 days of January before travelling to Abu Dhabi on January 11 to attend the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit.
From Abu Dhabi, the President returned to Nigeria on January 17 and remained in the country until January 26, when he departed for a state visit to the Republic of Türkiye. He spent six days in Türkiye before returning to Abuja on January 31.
During the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Nigeria signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the UAE, under which the Gulf country will eliminate tariffs on more than 7,000 Nigerian agricultural and industrial products.
Similarly, during the state visit to Türkiye, Nigerian and Turkish officials signed several agreements, including those on diaspora policy, defence cooperation, the establishment of a joint economy and trade committee, halal quality infrastructure, higher education, media and communication, diplomacy academy and other areas of bilateral cooperation.
Tinubu’s Travel History In 2025
Naija News reports that the President’s January 2026 trips followed a series of foreign engagements in 2025, during which Tinubu travelled to at least 10 countries for state visits, summits, diplomatic engagements and private working visits.
His first trip in 2025 was to Ghana for the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama, after which he travelled to the UAE for the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit and later to Tanzania for the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam.
In February, Tinubu travelled to France on a private working visit before proceeding to Ethiopia for the African Union Heads of State and Government Summit in Addis Ababa.
In April, the President undertook working visits to France and the United Kingdom, holding consultations with officials and political stakeholders.
In May, he visited Italy and attended the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, alongside other world leaders.
Tinubu later embarked on a two-leg trip in late June and early July, visiting Saint Lucia on a state visit before proceeding to Brazil for the BRICS Summit at the invitation of the Brazilian president.
In August, he travelled to Japan for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, followed by a bilateral visit to Brazil.
In September, the President spent 10 days on a working vacation between France and the United Kingdom, which his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said combined rest with strategic consultations.
In December, Tinubu again travelled to Europe for a year-end break ahead of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit.
‘Nigeria Doesn’t Need A Visiting President’ – ADC
Reacting, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said Nigeria’s current challenges did not permit a president who spends extended periods abroad.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the President’s frequent travels were fuelling speculation.
“The challenges at home do not allow for a visiting president. They therefore need to be more transparent and let us know what exactly is going on,” Abdullahi said.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also urged the President to prioritise governance at home.
PDP spokesman Ini Ememobong said Nigerians deserved full disclosure about the reasons behind Tinubu’s frequent trips, particularly to France.
“There are many existential problems facing Nigerians which need presidential action urgently. These frequent travels are not helpful,” he said.
CSOs Express Concern
Several Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) also raised concerns over the frequency, cost and impact of the President’s foreign travels.
Kolawole Omoniyi of the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education said while international engagements were important, the trips had become alarming in the absence of clear information on their benefits.
“Mr President has been governing largely from abroad, and leadership should not be remote,” he said while speaking with Daily Trust, urging the National Assembly to scrutinise the cost and impact of the travels.
Founder of the Resource Management for Accountability Centre, Akibu Hamisu, described the trips as “alarming and largely unproductive,” arguing that many engagements could be handled by ministers or ambassadors.
Other CSO leaders, including Taiwo Otitolaye, Olasupo Abideen and Ahmad Auwal Salihu, warned that the President’s frequent absence amid insecurity, inflation and unemployment risked undermining public confidence in governance.
Earlier, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, criticised Tinubu for spending most of January outside the country.
In a post on his 𝕏 handle, Obi said insecurity, kidnappings, power grid collapses and education disruptions worsened while the President was abroad.
He alleged that Tinubu only returned to Nigeria to welcome defectors into the APC before travelling again.
“When he does return, it often appears to be merely to welcome defectors into the APC before he jets off again,” Obi said.
