₦airaland Forum

State visits by Leaders are not tourism, and diplomacy is not a fashion parade. Every foreign trip undertaken by a government must deliver measurable benefits to the people, including investments, technology transfer, trade agreements, factory expansion, industrial partnerships, and job creation.

During President Trump’s recent visit to China, the American delegation reportedly included a few top government officials, and many of the biggest figures in global business and technology:
Consequently, huge trade deals worth several billion dollars including about 200 Boeing orders were achieved.
The list of the entourage included

1. Donald J. Trump – President of the United States
2. Marco Rubio – Secretary of State
3. Pete Hegseth – Secretary of Defence
4. Elon Musk – CEO, Tesla & SpaceX
5. Jensen Huang – CEO, Nvidia
6. Tim Cook – CEO, Apple
7. Larry Fink – CEO, BlackRock
8. Stephen Schwarzman – CEO, Blackstone
9. Kelly Ortberg – CEO, Boeing
10. Brian Sikes – CEO, Cargill
11. Jane Fraser – CEO, Citigroup
12. Larry Culp – CEO, General Electric
13. David Solomon – CEO, Goldman Sachs
14. Sanjay Mehrotra – CEO, Micron Technology
15.Cristiano Amon – CEO, Qualcomm
16. Dina P. McCormick – President of Meta
17. Ryan McInerney – CEO, Visa
18. Michael Miebach – President, Mastercard
19. Jim Anderson – CEO, Coherent
20. Jacob Thaysen – CEO, Illumina

That is how serious nations approach diplomacy, by aligning foreign policy with economic expansion, industrial growth, innovation, and national productivity.

I hope that lessons can be learned from these recent visits comparing them with the President of Nigeria’s recent state visit to the United Kingdom.

A large entourage of politicians, aides, and government officials travelled, yet Nigerians are still asking a simple question: what exactly did Nigeria bring home?

Which factories are coming to Nigeria?
What power, technology, manufacturing, agricultural, or industrial agreements were secured?
How many direct jobs will this visit create for Nigerian youths?
What investments were attracted?
What measurable economic outcomes can the ordinary Nigerian point to?
The delegation reportedly included:
1. President Bola Tinubu
2. Senator (Mrs) Tinubu
3.12 governors
4.9 ministers
5.7 members of the National Assembly
6. Over 20 senior State House staff
7. Over 30 security personnel
8. Over 10 domestic staff
9. Several supporters and associates

It is not enough to ride horses, wear matching uniforms, attend royal banquets, and release glossy photographs. Symbolism without substance cannot feed hungry citizens.

Today, Nigeria is in decline, battling serious insecurity, food insecurity, unemployment, a weakened naira, declining industrial productivity, and worsening poverty.
At a time when millions of Nigerians struggle daily to afford food and survive economic hardship, every kobo spent on foreign trips must produce tangible national value: investments, factories, jobs, exports, infrastructure, and economic opportunities.

Nigeria needs leadership that is focused less on optics and more on productivity; less on ceremony and more on measurable economic results.

A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO

Peter Obi

Tinubu's Senior Advisor on Digital/New Media replies Obi

This statement by Mr Gregory Peter Obi shows a continued lack of understanding of how the apparatus of state, and indeed a Presidency, works. At best, it is lacking in critical thought.

As President and Diplomat in Chief, President Bola Tinubu has consistently travelled with Nigerian champions of business and industry, drawn from a wide range of sectors including manufacturing, finance, agriculture, fintech, technology, oil and gas, aviation, and services.

In Nairobi, Kenya, earlier this week, at least twelve of our national business champions were present, including the two richest Black men in the world, Aliko Dangote and Abdul Samad Rabiu. Also present were Jim Ovia, Tony Elumelu, Kola Karim, Wale Tinubu, Gbenga Oyebode, and others.

In Kigali, Rwanda, just two days ago, President Bola Tinubu was accompanied by even more Nigerian business leaders. At every opportunity during the Forum, he highlighted them, celebrated them, advocated for them, and pushed for opportunities for them to scale across Africa.

That is what serious leadership does. It does not reduce the state to one man. It builds systems, opens doors, creates platforms, and allows institutions and enterprise to outlive the tenure of any individual.

Please, take a leaf from our President, who understands that processes, systems, structures, and institutionalisation are what make governance and its impact sustainable long after office.

Three governors after your time in office are still trying to fix the consequences of your institutionalised “only me” approach to governing a state, an approach which left “no tangible legacy”, to quote you directly.

O’tega

P.S.: I genuinely look forward to the day when your interventions are shaped by original thought and novel ideas, rather than by shallow analogies to others that offer more theatre than substance.

O'tega Ogra

They're always fast to react to things like this like preeek wey sight kuntus . But how to react to the high rate of adversity that has eaten so deep into every part of the country means nothing to them

Make una continue to dey craze dey go,but you see that 2027,na all of us go craze that craze together

Scallywags

Emilokan, Rural communities need automatic tools to hold ground before federal forces arrive.
Sign it into law, now or never

That's where you see them. Bandits just invaded Ogbomosho , they weren't fast to counter that.

I need someone to educate me on something...

Are we really using our hard earned commonwealth just to employ "government aides" that gallivant across the internet, reacting and counteracting any slight similitude of opposition to their boss?

Let's not even talk about the glorified conniving and self serving gluttons often regaled with the title of SSA.

Una nor dey advice for the job of senior special advisers?

It's now as if their new KPI is "how much of Peter Obi's statements you oppose".

Cant this loser just STFU

The trip that the whole Africa are so proud of president Tinubu in the way of answering the questions yet this nonsense man want to be finding fault on it

Spits

This is how useless the government has become ,no facts to back it up,just stupid reaction always.what is those governors going to do there,just for jamboree. Shame to any man who sees bad and call it good.

The citizens will react to both of them in 2027. Go get your voters card at cvr.inecnigeria.org

What a Trainwreck of a presidency. I never ever in my wildest dreams thought Tinubu would do worse and less than Buhari. Never. I thought he would be corrupt but perform massively. But performance is zero.

Aliko Dangote(richest man in Africa), Abdulsamad Rabiu(second richest man in Africa), Jim Ovia, Tony Elumelu, Femi Otedola etc went with the President.
The trip was a successful one. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu marketed brand Nigeria brilliantly. The Agulu Fraudster, pit obi and his mob can continue to stew in their ignorance.

Our own foreign trip is an extension of Ijebu Owambe.
The Tinubu lapdog attacked the messenger far more than the message.

Peter gringory obi keep putting them on edge even though I know they will still steal Ur mandate but facts remain that U did Ur part.

DeepSight:
What a Trainwreck of a presidency. I never ever in my wildest dreams thought Tinubu would do worse and less than Buhari. Never. I thought he would be corrupt but perform massively. But performance is zero.

A bad tree doesn't produce good fruits, that is why the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Moreze:
This is how useless the government has become ,no facts to back it up,just stupid reaction always.what is those governors going to do there,just for jamboree. Shame to any man who sees bad and call it good.

Criticism is not bad but if one will be critical, at least do it sense. It is apparent that obidient and their tin god, pit obi, the Agulu Fraudster, lacks it.

The President went with the richest man in Africa(Dangote) and the second richest man in Africa(Abdulsamad Rabiu) both Nigerians. Tony Elumelu was there, Jim Ovia went with them, Femi Otedola was not left out.

The President promoted brand Nigeria excellently. International business deals were clinched. Foreign direct investments were secured. Obi & his Halleluyah boys did not see all these

Tinubu and his gangs are completely clueless, they think running a country is all about paparazzi lol

Apparatus of state , conical flask of maladministration, petri-dish of clueless…always throwing in words generated via chatbots without understanding their meaning.
Apparatus of state will take you to Kenya with other clueless mofos from Africa to meet a president from France and you call that wisdom?
Trainee PR assistant thinks that carrying Tinubu’s bag on his numerous futile trips to France shows that this administration is working.
Shame on you!

Las las breakfast will be served.

"State visits by Leaders are not tourism, and diplomacy is not a fashion parade. Every foreign trip undertaken by a government must deliver measurable benefits to the people, including investments, technology transfer, trade agreements, factory expansion, industrial partnerships, and job creation."
----Peter Obi.

Oh yes, state visit by APC presidents have been on going for relaxation in their London and Paris homes.

This Peter Obi is a first class dullard, a third class container trader. President Tinubu has always been travelling with a few top Nigerian CEOs to facilitate investment opportunities.
Ironically, this same man and his noisy supporters would still complain if Tinubu travels with a large entourage as Trump did. Yet he is commending Trump who visited China in company of 20 of his oligarch friends which is purely self serving, having nothing to do with the overall interests of America.


-Kiss the truth!

helinues:
Cant this loser just STFU

The trip that the whole Africa are so proud of president Tinubu in the way of answering the questions yet this nonsense man want to be finding fault on it

Spits

The one he was talking off-topic, disgracing the country, saying tax law is written in English not Japanese? Shame no dey catch you to dey support this imbe? Many of you tinubu supporters actually reside in the UK, or are making plans to leave the country because of hardship, yet you are supporting bad thing

Peter Obi the nightmare of tinubu and his bunch of economic destroyers
PO is the president all sane Nigerians want

helinues:
Cant this loser just STFU

The trip that the whole Africa are so proud of president Tinubu in the way of answering the questions yet this nonsense man want to be finding fault on it

Spits

Jakpon:
Criticism is not bad but if one will be critical, at least do it sense. It is apparent that obidient and their tin god, pit obi, the Agulu Fraudster, lacks it.

The President went with the richest man in Africa(Dangote) and the second richest man in Africa(Abdulsamad Rabiu) both Nigerians. Tony Elumelu was there, Jim Ovia went with them, Femi Otedola was not left out.

The President promoted brand Nigeria excellently. International business deals were clinched. Foreign direct investments were secured. Obi & his Halleluyah boys did not see all these

The excellent outing of President Tinubu at the event was a big pain in their chests. Tinubu shut them up with an excellent performance promoting Nigeria and Africa to the world.
Seeing everyone across Africa and the world are talking about Tinubu's performance at Kigali, Peter Obi becomes jealous, knowing he has no capacity to replicate such a performance, so he had to come up with a ridiculous criticism to get himself a little attention off Tinubu's performance.
Atleast, with this nonsense talk, people will remember him and talk about him a little bit, that's the attention he always crave for.

-Kiss the truth!

Three governors after your time in office are still trying to fix the consequences of your institutionalised “only me” approach to governing a state, an approach which left “no tangible legacy”, to quote you directly.

O’tega


Hmmmmmm

Nigeria is beyond redemption cos we have no idea of how to produce but we can always borrow to consume rendering our currency weaker.

Let all youths be prepared cos these old men in government are destroying what's left of our future generations with reckless borrowing and looting.

Na Ajala emilokan you Dey tell that one? He doesn’t see those billions of tax payer billions he wastes on fruitless Ajala pictures snapping trips as anything because he never worked for that money from day one but only got it through state capture

Peter obi talking like a true president. Show us what your numerous foreign trips have brought to nigeria? What's the value of FDI? Emilokan and his crew disgracing nigeria with incoherent gibberish at interviews, packing aides to London like local champions

You are probably not even intelligent enough to trade at container scale, if not why will you leave the substance of the critique and resort to asinine personal attacks? The point is valid,the Nigerian
president travels with mostly politicians and aides.

TimeManager:
This Peter Obi is a first class dullard, a third class container trader. President Tinubu has always been travelling with a few top Nigerian CEOs in attendance to facilitate investment opportunities.
Ironically, this same man and his noisy supporters would still complain if Tinubu travels with a large entourage as Trump did. Yet he is commending Trump who visited China in company of 20 of his oligarchy friends which is purely self serving, having nothing to do with the overall interests of America.


-Kiss the truth!

The response attacking Peter Obi completely avoided the central issue he raised.

Obi did not say a President should travel alone. He did not argue against engaging business leaders. He did not condemn diplomacy. What he asked was simple and direct

What measurable economic value did the trip produce for Nigeria?

Instead of answering that question with clear outcomes, the response merely listed the names of wealthy Nigerians who travelled with the President, as though proximity to billionaires automatically translates into national prosperity.

That response is not a rebuttal. It is a diversion!

Obi’s comparison was about purpose-driven diplomacy. The example of the U.S.-China engagement demonstrated how serious nations strategically align state visits with trade expansion, industrial growth, technology partnerships, manufacturing deals, and job creation.

The question Nigerians are asking is not
“Who sat beside the President?”

The real question is
Which factories are coming?
What investments were secured?
How many jobs will be created?
What industries will grow?
How will ordinary Nigerians benefit?

These are legitimate questions in a country battling inflation, unemployment, insecurity, and deepening poverty.

A government cannot continue to celebrate ceremonies while citizens struggle to survive. Nigerians are not fed by royal banquets, horse parades, convoys, or carefully staged photographs. Citizens want visible economic outcomes.

And if the Presidency truly believes these trips are productive, then it should have no difficulty presenting transparent figures to show for it.

That is how serious governments communicate impact.

Ironically, the attempt to insult Obi’s record in Anambra only weakens the response further. Once a government abandons substance for personal attacks, it usually means it has run out of convincing arguments.


That was Obi’s point from the beginning, and no amount of deflection changes it.