Tinubu Hawks Legacy Projects To London, Nigerians Left Behind

Senior ministers and high-ranking officials from President Bola Tinubu’s administration will convene in London for an international press conference to spotlight the government’s achievements, despite Nigeria’s ongoing economic struggles, soaring inflation, security concerns, and escalating calls for urgent relief measures. 

The event, organized in the United Kingdom, will feature key cabinet members and agency heads outlining “legacy projects” and “historic accomplishments” during Tinubu’s first two years in office. Announcing the engagement in Abuja on Tuesday, Bode Adeyemi, Internal Project Coordinator of the President Bola Tinubu Midterm Legacy Projects Review Committee, stressed that the conference seeks to reshape global narratives about Nigeria’s governance under Tinubu’s leadership. 

Prominent attendees include Nyesom Wike (Federal Capital Territory Minister), Dave Umahi (Works Minister), Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo (Interior Minister), Gbenga Komolafe (CEO, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission), Usman Osidi (Managing Director, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria), and Zacheous Adedeji (Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service), among others. 

A detailed compendium cataloging the administration’s milestones, along with a dedicated website, will be launched during the conference. Defending the initiative, Tunde Doherty, Chairman of the UK Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), asserted that the event would counter “misleading opposition narratives” and offer a nuanced perspective on Tinubu’s governance record to the international community.

The trip has been described as tone-deaf to the realities in Nigeria. The lavish overseas event aimed at promoting the administration’s “legacy projects” has been branded as unnecessary, ill-timed, and disconnected from the realities of millions of Nigerians battling daily survival. The trip comes as Nigeria’s inflation rate surged to a 28-year high of 33.95%, with staple foods like rice and beans now costing up to 300% more than in 2023. Over 87 million Nigerians live in extreme poverty, while labor unions, activists, and opposition leaders demand immediate relief measures instead of costly international image campaigns.

“Why fly to London to ‘correct perceptions’ when Nigerians at home are hungry and angry?” questioned Adeola Ogunlade, a Lagos-based civil society organizer. “This trip reeks of elitism. How does showcasing ‘achievements’ abroad address the fact that families are skipping meals or that workers can’t afford transportation?” 

The optics of prioritizing a foreign media blitz have further inflamed public frustration.  “This trip isn’t for ordinary Nigerians. It’s for foreign investors and a privileged few,” said economist Tope Fajemirokun. “But no PowerPoint presentation in London will erase the fact that this government has yet to deliver tangible relief to its people.” 

With public trust eroding and protests simmering, the Tinubu administration’s London gambit risks cementing perceptions of a leadership more invested in global theatrics than in confronting the urgent crises destabilizing Nigeria.