Nigeria is open for business, and we need a leader who is the Chief Marketer of Brand Nigeria. So far, President Tinubu is doing a good job of that.
Those political parties and politicians criticising President Bola Tinubu for excessive foreign travel should note that the reason foreign capital inflow into Nigeria more than doubled to $6 billion in the first six months of 2024 and hit a record high at the end of last year is because of the international trips undertaken by the President and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
For example, and please fact-check me: In the first quarter of 2023, before Asiwaju Tinubu was sworn in, foreign direct investment inflows into Nigeria were $1.1 billion. However, for the equivalent period in 2024, they were $3.4 billion.
A more specific example is that after President Tinubu’s November 17, 2024, visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the G20 Summit, a Brazilian firm, JBS of Brazil, announced a total $8 billion investment in Nigeria, beginning with an initial $2.5 billion to be invested in Ogun State.
Considering the above, criticising the president for doing the needful amounts to ignorance of how the world of international business financing works.
There is fierce competition for global investments, and countries whose leaders do not go out there to project their nations and make deals will not get any but the most exploitative foreign investment, if even that.
Nigeria is open for business, and we need a leader who is the Chief Marketer of Brand Nigeria. So far, President Tinubu is doing a good job of that.
We must not criticise just for the sake of criticising.
These individuals and groups ought to understand the necessity for foreign travels by national leaders, especially in this era of the Trump Tariff War, where competition for a share of precious investments has been heightened.
As the British writer, Robin Leach said, “It is usually people in the money business, finance, and international trade that are really rich.”
If Nigeria wants to move from Third World to First, we must focus on improving our international trade.
Reno Omokri
