Sowore Slams Tinubu’s UK Visit as ‘Diplomatic Excursion’
Human rights lawyer and African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing state visit to the United Kingdom, describing it as a “diplomatic excursion” with no meaningful benefit to Nigeria.
Sowore made the remarks on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, as Tinubu continued his two-day visit — the first official trip by a Nigerian leader to the UK in nearly four decades.
He questioned the intent behind the visit, suggesting that the president’s health could be one of the underlying reasons.
“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 attention surrounding the visit does not translate into tangible 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 also challenged the Tinubu administration’s justification that such trips are aimed at attracting foreign investment, insisting that there have been no visible results 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 further claimed that Nigerian musicians contribute more economically through their international engagements than the president does through foreign trips.
“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, which includes a meeting with King Charles III and bilateral talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
