Why Tinubu travelled to Europe 18 days to inauguration revealed as Atiku's camp fumes

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the president-elect on Wednesday, May 10, left Nigeria for Europe on a working visit.

Telescope.ng reports that a statement issued by the office of the president-elect revealed that Tinubu would use the opportunity of the trip to finetune the transition plans and programmes, and his policy options with some of his key aides without unnecessary pressures and distractions.

According to the report, during the visit, the president-elect would engage with investors and other key allies with the goal of marketing investment opportunities in the country and his administration’s readiness to enable a business-friendly climate through policies and regulations.

Already, meetings with multi-sectoral actors in Europe’s business community including manufacturing, agriculture, tech and energy have been lined up.

Asíwájú Tinubu hopes to convince them of Nigeria’s readiness to do business under his leadership through mutually-beneficial partnerships premised on jobs creation and skills acquisition.

Reviving the country’s economy forms a major plank of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda and the meeting is part of his efforts to re-establish Nigeria’s importance in the global economic chain and create empowering opportunities for the country’s huge youth population.

The President-elect has hitherto promised to hit the ground running and the visit is reflective of his commitment to the promise as he has already begun talks with global actors in the important areas of the economy and security.

Before he left the country, Asíwájú Tinubu met with the House of Representatives candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker endorsed by his party, the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who were presented to him by Joint Task Team of the House.

He is scheduled to return shortly for preparations towards his official swearing in as the 16th President of the country on May 29, 2023.

Tinubu in Europe for medical follow-up, Atiku’s camp

Atiku’s campaign spokesman, Daniel Bwala, however, disputed the claims made by Tinubu’s camp, stating that the resident-elect’s trip was a medical follow-up and not a working trip, as stated by his media team.

Bwala took to his Twitter page on Wednesday to voice his opinion and said that calling Tinubu’s journey a working trip is incorrect since he is not yet the president.

He said: “Now they have learned to call the medical follow-up trip a working trip. Hold on; he is not yet the president, so technically, it is wrong to call it a working trip or visit. His media people should learn to humanize him so they do not have to make lies statecraft.

“We have seen the movie before. Whilst PMB’s media people were busy saying the president is on a working trip or visit, PMB keeps saying “I have never been this sick before. I thought Tinubu’s media aides would learn from that; alas if it didn’t Dey, it didn’t Dey.”