By Sandra Kenneth
Arise Television’s Morning Show co-anchor, Rufai Oseni, has stated that President Bola Tinubu is at liberty to run Nigeria remotely from France if he chooses, maintaining that citizens are merely witnessing the governance style they voted into office.
Oseni made the remarks on Tuesday while reacting to public criticism surrounding President Tinubu’s continued absence from the country and his frequent foreign travels.
He argued that the President’s pattern of long trips abroad was already established, making public complaints surprising given the outcome of the presidential election.
“President Tinubu has shown you that he’s constantly going to be away, that he is more at peace in France than any part of the world,” Oseni said. “So you voted him in. You get what you vote for, and I don’t know why Nigerians are complaining.”
Highlighting the length of the President’s recent private and official trips, Oseni noted that spending extended weeks out of the country has become Tinubu’s standard modus operandi.
“If at the start of the year he went for 20-something days in January, today again he has gone for 21 days plus another one week—that’s going to be about 27 days,” he observed. “If he even deems it that it’s France that he wants to run the country from, he can go ahead. Even his spokespeople have said he can run the country remotely.”
Beyond the President’s physical absence, Oseni raised concerns regarding the economic returns on presidential foreign travel, calling for a clear evaluation of the cost-benefit ratio.
“At least, if you are going to burn ₦37 billion on your foreign trips, like they said he burnt, how much investment came back to Nigeria?” Oseni asked. “I’m not talking about audio investment. I’m not talking about intention or MOUs; I’m talking about final investment destination.”
The broadcaster further faulted the President’s decision to remain abroad following recent tragic events at home, including the deaths of 37 miners in Niger State, suggesting that leadership required a direct, visible response on the ground.
“Even for the sake of optics, to show that ‘I’m on ground, what is happening? Let’s lead this investigation,’” Oseni stated, adding that if the administration believes remote governance is effective, “that’s what Nigerians voted for, so I don’t think there’s any problem with that.”
