Former Anambra State Governor and presidential hopeful of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the outcomes of his recent diplomatic visits to France, Kenya, and Rwanda, insisting that foreign trips by government officials must deliver measurable economic benefits to Nigerians.

President Tinubu returned to Nigeria on Friday evening through the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, where he was received by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, alongside other senior government officials.

During the visit to France, Tinubu reportedly engaged global investors and defended his administration’s ongoing economic reforms. He also participated in the Africa Forward Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, which was co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto.

While in Nairobi, Tinubu held bilateral discussions with Madagascan leader Michael Randrianirina. The Nigerian president later proceeded to Kigali, Rwanda, where he joined African leaders, investors, and business executives at the Africa CEO Forum to deliberate on strategies for accelerating Africa’s economic transformation through regional integration and cross-border investments.

Reacting in a statement shared on his X account on Saturday, Obi argued that diplomatic engagements should go beyond ceremonial appearances and produce direct economic outcomes capable of improving citizens’ lives.

According to him, every foreign trip undertaken by a government should result in concrete gains such as investments, technology transfer, industrial partnerships, trade agreements, factory expansion, and employment opportunities.

Drawing comparisons with recent international engagements involving former United States President Donald Trump and China, Obi claimed that the American delegation comprised influential government officials and leading global business executives, resulting in trade agreements reportedly worth billions of dollars, including major aircraft orders involving Boeing.

Obi noted that the U.S. delegation allegedly included business leaders such as Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Tim Cook of Apple, and several executives from multinational corporations including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Visa, and Mastercard.

He described such an approach as an example of how “serious nations” align diplomacy with industrial growth, economic expansion, innovation, and productivity.

The former Labour Party presidential candidate questioned the direct economic value of Nigeria’s recent foreign engagements, asking what concrete investments, manufacturing agreements, agricultural partnerships, or job opportunities had been secured for Nigerians.

Obi further criticised what he described as the size of the Nigerian delegation, which reportedly included governors, ministers, lawmakers, State House staff, security personnel, domestic aides, and political 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,” Obi stated.

He lamented Nigeria’s worsening economic challenges, including insecurity, food inflation, unemployment, naira depreciation, declining industrial productivity, and rising poverty levels, stressing that every public expenditure on foreign trips must yield tangible national benefits.

According to him, Nigerians deserve leadership focused on productivity, economic growth, investment attraction, and measurable outcomes rather than political optics and ceremonial engagements.

Obi concluded his statement with his signature political message: “A New Nigeria is Possible.”