Bayo Onanuga Archives | Trendbrio.com

Tinubu Returns From France Today – Presidency

Our Reporters2 months ago2 months ago04 mins

President Bola Tinubu will return to Nigeria today from his work visit to France, the Presidency has said. The President’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a post on his X handle on Monday. Tinubu left Nigeria on April 2, 2025, for Paris, France, on a short work visit. According to the Presidency, Tinubu used the retreat to review the progress of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning ahead of his administration’s second anniversary. The President’s latest trip had been faulted by major opposition leaders who criticised him for being away despite the rising insecurity in the country, especially in Benue and Plateau states, where scores of residents have been killed in attacks on several communities. A former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, had asked President Bola Tinubu to end his trip to France and address the spate of insecurity in Nigeria. Atiku questioned Tinubu’s continued stay in the European country despite the spate of killings across Nigeria. “While Tinubu dines under chandeliers in the land of good governance, the country he governs is spiraling into chaos. Plateau has turned into a killing field — over 100 lives lost in relentless attacks,” his spokesman, Paul Ibe, said in a statement on April 17. Similarly, a former presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, urged Tinubu to suspend his France trip and urgently return to Nigeria to address the deteriorating security situation, particularly in Plateau and Benue states. He also said the primary duty of any government is securing the lives and property of its citizens, and one wondered why the type of retreat was going on in another country where peace had been secured by their leaders, “while blood continues to flow in our country”. “I am compelled at this time in our lives as a nation to call on our retreating President’s attention to the security challenges at home, which entail that he immediately suspend his ongoing retreat in a foreign land and come home to address the overwhelming security situation across the country.” “In the two weeks you have been away, over 150 Nigerians have lost their lives to insecurity across Nigeria, especially in Plateau and Zamfara states. “I therefore urge Mr President to quickly suspend whatever he is doing in France and rush home to take responsibility by addressing these disturbing issues. That is the new Nigeria the nation seeks,” he said. But the Presidency noted that the Tinubu had maintained constant communication with key government officials, overseeing critical national matters, including directives to security chiefs to address emerging threats in some parts of the country.

Nigeria, a country governed by law, categorically denies any human rights abuse

Our Reporters9 months ago9 months ago07 mins

The Trade Union Congress in the United Kingdom opened its conference on Tuesday in London, with its leader making false claims about human rights abuses and violations in Nigeria. The Nigerian government was wrongly and falsely accused of rights abuse because the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, was stopped from travelling abroad after he snubbed the invitation of a law enforcement agency conducting an ongoing investigation. Ajaero, who probably considers himself above the law, was slated to speak at the same conference where the UK TUC leader attacked Nigeria. His actions, however, have serious consequences, as no one is above the law in Nigeria. Clearly, under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended), no person is above the summons of law enforcement agencies and lawful investigation. Like the United Kingdom and other civilised nations, Nigeria is a country of law governed by the Constitution. We are not aware that there is anyone in the United Kingdom or anywhere in Europe and the United States, trade union leaders inclusive, who will flagrantly ignore the invitation or summons of MI5 or Scotland Yard or treat the FBI with the level of disdain Mr Ajaero has subjected law enforcement agencies in Nigeria. In the United States, for example, former President Donald Trump has been the subject of numerous investigations and prosecutions in courts in several states since he left office. Mr. Hunter Biden, son of the President of the United States, has been the subject of a lawful investigation by the FBI. We, therefore, reject any notion and allusion to human rights violations in Nigeria. The accusations made by the Trade Union Congress in the United Kingdom are, thus, unfounded and based on a misunderstanding of the situation. Besides, the Nigerian Government is being led by a pro-democracy activist president who will do everything to protect civil liberties and the rights of all citizens. There is no adversarial relationship between the Labour Movement in Nigeria and the government. While labour unions and the government may not always agree on policy direction, the government has consistently shown readiness to engage on any issue with labour despite the latter’s political partisanship. Contrary to the erroneous impression being created, the invitation extended by the Department of State Services to Mr. Ajaero has nothing to do with his role as the President of NLC. As a responsible citizen of Nigeria, Mr Ajaero should honour any invitation from our security agencies and resolve any issues that may arise during the investigation instead of stirring adverse public opinion against the security agencies. It is worth reminding Nigerians and the global community that the federal government recognises that the labour movement exists to protect and defend the interests of its members. What is also worth noting is that Labour, in most cases, only advances ideological positions that fly in the face of economic realities. Many ideological stances of the labour unions in Nigeria in the past have only stunted the economic growth and development of the country and even compromised the material well-being of the workers and the poor people they protect. A case in point was the strong opposition of the NLC and TUC to the sale of Port-Harcourt and Kaduna Refineries to Bluestar Consortium, promoted in 2007 by Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola, during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Seventeen years after the labour movement forced the successor government of Umar Yar’ Adua to cancel the sale of the two refineries, none of the four government-owned refineries worked. In the obverse, Mr. Aliko Dangote, one of the promoters of Bluestar, has built the largest single-train refinery in the world. In a twist of fate, the same Labour Movement that fiercely opposed Dangote from taking over the two refineries in 2007 hailed him on completing his 650,000-bpd refinery in Lagos. The administration of President Tinubu will continue to promote the best economic interest of Nigerians despite the current challenges. It will also continue to pursue policies and programmes that will expand national economic output and create prosperity for our citizens. Bayo Onanuga Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy)