Tinubu’s Foreign Trips Offer Little Relief For Struggling Embassies Abroad

Nigeria’s foreign missions are facing a deepening crisis, grappling with unpaid staff salaries, rent arrears, and crumbling infrastructure, even as President Bola Tinubu’s extensive overseas travels in 2025 have yet to deliver tangible relief.

The Federal Government recently acknowledged the scale of the problem. In a statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa, the government admitted that budget shortfalls and foreign exchange policy changes had crippled the smooth operation of embassies and consulates.

“The ministry is not unaware of the restrictions that financial limitations have placed on the smooth running of the missions, including the inability to pay salaries of locally recruited staff, financial obligations to service providers, rent to landlords, and the foreign service allowance to home-based officers,” the statement read.

By official count, the president has undertaken at least 43 international journeys since May 2023, with 15 of them occurring this year alone across 11 countries. From Ghana to the Vatican, France to Brazil, Japan to Saint Lucia, Tinubu has appeared on global stages ranging from energy summits to trade forums and even papal inaugurations.

His most recent trip, a working vacation in France and the UK, has again stirred debate about whether his frequent travels are strengthening Nigeria’s foreign relations or merely papering over the cracks left by the absence of proper diplomatic representation.

Opposition voices have grown increasingly strident. Timothy Osadolor, Deputy Youth Leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), described the president’s trips as “insensitive” and a misuse of taxpayers’ money, accusing him of prioritising medical tourism and personal convenience over the urgent needs of Nigerians.

Similarly, PDP’s Interim National Publicity Secretary Tony Akeni mocked the president’s penchant for leaving the country, warning that he appears “allergic to staying at home to tackle the nation’s problems.”

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, also added his voice to the growing chorus of criticism over President Bola Tinubu’s frequent foreign travels, arguing that such trips come at a time when Nigeria desperately needs decisive leadership at home to confront mounting challenges.