AMIDST consistent calls for the reduction in the cost of governance, President Bola Tinubu, having spent 580 days in office, embarked on 19 foreign trips, out of which he spent 180 days abroad. These trips, according to the 2024 Appropriation Bill, cost N6.9billion.
In the 2025 budget presented to a joint session of the National Assembly on December 27, 2024 by President Tinubu, he is expected to expend an estimate of 8.4billion naira on foreign trips this year. His vice, Senator
Kashim Shettima will be expending 1.4 billion naira in likewise engagements.
Highlighting Bola Tinubu’s achievements in establishing diplomatic ties so far
The president, within 180-day trips, traversed Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; London, the United Kingdom (four times); Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (twice); Nairobi, Kenya; Porto Norvo, Benin Republic; The Hague, Netherlands; Pretoria, South Africa; Accra, Ghana; New Delhi, India; Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; New York, the United States of America; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (twice); Berlin, Germany; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dakar, Senegal and Doha, Qatar.
On August 29 to Beijing, China, where President Tinubu held bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and subsequently attended the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, before departing China for the UK, where he spent seven days, and returned on September 14.
A day after attending the 64th Independence Day ceremony, Tinubu departed Abuja for the UK again for a two-week working leave.
However, in August 2023, the President, through the minister of foreign affairs, Yusuff Tuggar, disclosed the administration’s agenda for foreign relationships and the framework designed to establish and foster the relationships. According to Tuggar, the template is tagged 4Ds, which are ‘Diaspora, Development, Democracy and Demography’.
On education development, in December 2023, Nigeria, through the MFA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Russia on education development, and as well signed another MoU with the State of Qatar in March 3, 2024.
Nigeria also signed an MoU with Campus France on joint research and promotion of innovation, training of qualified Nigerian academics in French higher educational institutions, scholars/students exchanges, and support for the French Language Immersion Programme.
On September 27, 2023, Nigeria signed an MoU with Russia on nuclear energy as well as with India on renewable energy on January 23, 2024.
Also, on November 10, 2023, Nigeria signed an MoU on energy cooperation with Saudi Arabia, after which it proceeded to sign a $500 million deal on renewable energy and gas with Germany on November 21, 2023.
In the same vein, on the development of a Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Project, an MoU was signed on December 06, 2023, with China.
An MoU was also signed with Solarge BV of the Netherlands and the African Green Infrastructure Investment Bank for the establishment of a 1GW Solar PV Manufacturing Plant in December 2023.
Going forward with the ties with China, the government signed an MoU on the provision of infrastructure worth about $2 billion as well as an MoU for China to develop and establish a $150 million Lithium-lon Battery Manufacturing and Processing Factory in Nigeria, also in December.
With an agenda of opening up the economy to foreign investors, and also boost local trade, Nigeria signed an MoU with India to boost the trade volume with India in February 2024, before signing another with the State of Qatar, on the establishment of a Joint Business Council (JBC) between the NACCIMA and Qatar Chamber on March 3, 2024.
In the Information technology sector, Nigeria and India signed an MoU in September 2023, on cooperation in the field of Sharing Successful Digital Solutions. This is to be Implemented at the Total Population Scale for Digital.
The Federal Government is also in an agreement with Cuba, on collaboration in the field of Innovation, Science, and Technology, as well as $600m I-DICE Financial Agreement with France for the digital and creative enterprise.
On security, Nigeria signed two MoUs with the United Nations Office on CounterTerrorism (UNOCT) with an aim to leverage the partnership in prevention and fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
signed an agreement with the US on training Intervention Squad to tackle banditry and other crimes.
On November 17, 2024, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in a visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, called for a renewal of “strategic partnership” between the two countries, after which President Tinubu conferred on him the Grand Commander of Niger (CON).
On September 11, 2024, the president was invited by the United States Chamber of Commerce to ring the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) closing bell at the stock exchange market, based in New York While these deals and strategic relationships pose a great development for the nation’s economy, how the government plans to harness these, and put into implementation some of them this year, appear to be a herculean task, as the country seems to be overwhelmed with diverse crisis.
Tinubu as ECOWAS chairman
In July 2024, President Tinubu was reelected as the chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.
His mandate was extended at the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital territory (FCT).
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President Tinubu was first elected to the position in Guinea-Bissau on July 9, 2023.
In his acceptance speech, the President said he would focus on consolidating the values of democracy and upholding the interest of the regional body, which would clock 50 years in 2025.
Following the overthrow of President Bazoum in Niger Republic in early 2024, ECOWAS, under Tinubu, announced many sanctions, including border closure cutting-off of electricity to the nation. There was also a threat of military action against Niger and other two countries – Mali and Burkina Faso – that were earlier taken over by the junta. The threats, which infuriated the three countries, led to their exit from the ECOWAS on January 28, 2024.
However, in a bid the resolve the impasse, ECOWAS, in response to a call from a former Head of State of Nigeria,
General Yakubu Gowon, lifted most sanctions imposed on Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, following the unconstitutional change government in the three countries, wherein, the three countries have refused to return to the regional bloc.
