However, this plea comes amid revelations that the government has spent a staggering N7 billion on foreign trips in just one year.

The administration of President Bola Tinubu has once again asked Nigerians to endure economic hardship, arguing that sacrifices are necessary for the country’s progress.

However, this plea comes amid revelations that the government has spent a staggering N7 billion on foreign trips in just one year.

The Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, made this assertion during his appearance on AIT’s State of the Economy programme, which was monitored by SaharaReporters.

Fasua insisted that economic recovery requires endurance and long-term commitment to policies that prioritize local production.

“For a country (like Nigeria) to actually get to where it wants to get to, there is a bit of pain that you have to endure,” Fasua said.

“Those things that will focus on producing locally, encouraging our own. Just as it happened in the petroleum sector. It is never going to be easy. To put a refinery on the ground is not an easy affair. It takes a lot of concentration. And also, one of the biggest challenges you have as a country is how to concentrate on a policy in the medium to long term.

“We are always good at starting a policy very quickly, but can we concentrate or stick with a policy and programme for five, ten, or fifteen years?”

“If we can ensure that naira hovers around where it is now, maybe N1,300 to N1,400 in the next three to four years to five years, the world will take notice that this is where we want to lock this (foreign exchange),” he added.

Despite the government's call for endurance, Nigerians are angered by the lavish spending of the Tinubu administration on foreign trips.

Since assuming office on May 29, 2023, President Tinubu, along with Vice President Kashim Shettima, his wife, and several ministers, have embarked on numerous foreign trips, spending billions of naira from the national treasury.

Many argue that the trips have yielded little to no tangible benefits for the country, further straining an already struggling economy.

One of the most controversial instances was the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024, where Nigeria had the largest delegation of over 1,000 people, raising questions about the necessity of such a bloated attendance.

While some claimed to be self-sponsored, the government’s official delegation included individuals with no clear role at the event.

According to reports, Tinubu, his wife, and Shettima have collectively visited 26 countries and made approximately 41 trips within a year of taking office. The president alone recorded 29 trips to 18 countries, while Shettima made 12 trips to 10 nations. In total, they have spent nearly 180 days outside the country—Tinubu himself accounting for 124 days abroad.

Countries frequently visited by Tinubu include UK, US, India, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa, and China.

It was revealed that in 2024 alone, Tinubu and his team spent N36 billion on international travel, as reported by the Open Treasury Portal.

The breakdown of the expenditure includes N12.2 billion allocated for “international travel and transport (training)”; N24.19 billion spent on “international travel, transport, and others”; N15.8 billion spent on “local travel and transport (training)”; N31.2 billion spent on “local travel and transport (others)”.

The total expenditure for both local and international travel amounted to a staggering N83 billion in one year.

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