mekaboy: They have given him the money he went to beg, so he has to rush back home before they change their mind.

Mynd_44: I don't get why his entourage is that large. How many ministers did he go with again?

Mynd_44: ^^
It is just sad. I could count more that 6 key ministers on the news yesterday and I was wondering if they moved the seat of power to China temporarily

Expensive Trips: Jonathan Spends N3.3bn On Foreign Trips In 2012
Posted by: daniel on December 7, 2012





If you followed the protests that greeted the removal of fuel subsidy in January by the Goodluck Jonathan administration and his subsequent national broadcasts to assuage the feelings of Nigerians who were worse hit by the sudden announcement on new year’s day, then, this statement shouldn’t be new to you:
“I have directed that overseas travels by all political office-holders, including the President, should be reduced to the barest minimum. The size of delegations on foreign trips will also be drastically reduced; only trips that are absolutely necessary will be approved.”

Has president Jonathan kept to his words on foreign travels and the size of government delegation on such trips? A PUNCH report indicates the president faltered on his promise as several billions of naira of taxpayers’ money have been expended on foreign trips since then.

The findings show that the President and his entourage have spent not less than N3.354bn on foreign trips since 2010.
For instance, in the first 11 months of 2012, the President had travelled out of the country at least 20 times, including his trip to Sierra Leone in October and the D8 Summit he attended in Pakistan in November.

In September alone, Jonathan travelled out of the country four times. He travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for a two-day visit on September 1 for the burial of late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
Nine days later, he went to Malawi and Botswana in a cumulative three-day visit for enhancement of bilateral relationships. The President ended the month of September with another trip to New York, United States for the United Nations General Assembly
From February, 2010 when he became the Acting President to December 2010, Jonathan spent N970.891m on foreign travels.


Although the 2011 budget was silent on the expenses for the President’s foreign travels, investigations showed that about N1.7bn was spent on such trips.
According to the 2011 budget, N1.145bn was budgeted for Vice-President Namadi Sambo’s foreign trips.
In 2012, N684.74m was budgeted for Jonathan’s foreign travels and he had travelled out of the country 19 times.

Although the 2013 budget recently submitted to the National Assembly by Jonathan suggested that N2.6bn would be spent on his foreign trips next year, investigations have shown that much more than the quoted figure will be spent and is being spent judging by the expenses the country incurs during such trips.

The expenses incur include and are not limited to airfares for members of the President’s delegation who will travel on commercial flights, cost of procuring travel visas for them, estacodes for members of the delegation, fuelling of the presidential jets as well as other logistics.
Only the President and his very top aides fly on the presidential jets.
Culled From PUNCH

Mynd_44: ^^
It is just sad. I could count more that 6 key ministers on the news yesterday and I was wondering if they moved the seat of power to China temporarily

Abu Mikey: The Fear of being impeached is the beginning of WISDOM!!!!

Abu Mikey: The Fear of being impeached is the beginning of WISDOM!!!!

Gbawe:

Whatever was gained by the trip has probably been neutralised by the huge expense of taking ten football teams to go and beg for what is effectively 'chicken change'.

The sort of amount that brave and fiscally disciplined leadership, predicated on fearless cost-cutting, could release in a month to Nigeria without GEJ having to set foot outside Aso Rock let alone go all the way to China.

Sloan: He is running back because IMPEACHMENT motion is already being readied! Retardeen presidents wastes billions of Naira to fly his elephant wife and 11 ministers on a five day trip but scurries back like a cockroach after the coup he planned for Nigerians (Rivers State specifically) backfires! LWKMD!

Mynd_44: What's wrong with this one and why is he/she screaming?

We are questioning the rationale behind taking his whole cabinet to China and he/she is taking about loans. No one is attacking the purpose of the trip here, the point is that the number of people on that trip is too much.

Considering that each of them will be needing hotel rooms, feeding, transportation "fit for ministers", it is simply ridiculous.

solomon111: Most of those people that went with GEJ are going there to secure investments and trade opportunities for their respective ministries and states.

mekaboy: They have given him the money he went to beg, so he has to rush back home before they change their mind.