The Presidency has dispelled claims that the absence of President Bola Tinubu and his Vice, Kashim Shettima, trips abroad will create vacuum in Nigeria’s leadership.
It said that though they may not be within the country but both leaders are abreast with the nation’s affairs and manage Nigeria’s affairs from their different locations.
The Presidency stressed that the present conditions isn’t new, considering that the previous administration had similar occurrence and the country progressed.
This marks the second time both officers have been concurrently absent from the country since assuming office 17 months ago.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, argued this in a statement he released on Wednesday and made available to newsmen.
Tinubu departed for the United Kingdom on October 2, 2024, for a two-week working leave and later left the UK for France while, Shettima left Abuja on Wednesday for Sweden on a two-day visit to represent Nigeria in bilateral engagements with the Scandinavian nation.
The Presidency noted that during his two-week working vacation, the President has been “busy answering phones and issuing directives on matters of state. He will soon return to the country before the vacation officially expires.”
In the meantime, it said, “All state organs are functioning as usual. The Senate President, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ministers, and Service Chiefs are all in their respective positions, ensuring the smooth operation of the government.
“The Constitution, a testament to our adaptability in the virtual age, does not explicitly require the physical presence of either the president or the vice president in the country at all times to fulfil his duties.”
Onanuga drew parallels with similar instances in the Buhari administration. In 2022, the former President and his deputy, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, were simultaneously out of the country.
President Buhari attended UNGA 77, while Osinbajo participated in the burial of Queen Elizabeth ll.
In their first 100 days in office, Tinubu and Shettima spent 28 days abroad, visiting over nine countries.
