2023: Politicians waste billions on political meetings abroad as Nigerians groan under economic crunch

Knocks over meetings abroad

As Nigerians groan under the nation’s severe economic crunch, their politicians and top public office holders, especially state governors, have taken to flying to Europe for their horse-trading over next year’s general elections.

Since the end of party primaries in early June, some politicians have flown to different European countries almost weekly for strategic meetings and negotiations over the presidential election.

At least three of such meetings were held in London this week, all of which involved Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike who is leading a rebellion in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), arising from the nomination of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the party and his choice of Delta State governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.

The latest on Thursday saw Mr Wike and his associates in the PDP, including Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom and Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, meeting with Atiku over dinner at the pricy Park Lane Carlton Hotel in London.

This came three days after a meeting between representatives of Atiku and Mr Wike’s group in Port Harcourt ended in a deadlock.

The guests at the London dinner included Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, who had led Atiku’s delegation to the failed reconciliation meeting of Friday in Port Harcourt.

Before their dinner with Atiku, Mr Wike and his friends also on Thursday in London met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi.

That meeting came after the group had met with the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, on Monday in the same city.

Accompanying Mr Tinubu to the meeting were Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his Ekiti State counterpart, Kayode Fayemi.

Before the latest series of meetings in London, Mr Wike’s group was in Turkey in June for what an aide of the governor described as a strategic session, as the crisis between the winner and runner up in the PDP presidential primaries blossomed.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Wike had shunned an emissary of Atiku, Adamu Waziri, whom the presidential candidate had deployed to the Eastern European country to seek audience with the Rivers governor.

Since June Mr Wike and his associates have been seen in different European countries several times. But they are not the only Nigerian politicians involved in the new political tourism escapades.

Mr Tinubu was hosting political meetings in the United Kingdom and France even before he announced his presidential bid early this year, while Atiku had also been hosting his in Dubai where he relocated after his defeat in the 2019 presidential election.

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ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Wike gives Atiku condition for negotiation at London meeting

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The politicians are indulging in these escapades despite the high costs in hard currencies, as a result of the collapse of the value of the naira.

As allocations from the Federation Account shrinks, many state governments are depending on loans and bailouts from the Federal Government to pay salaries while mostly defaulting in payment of pensions to retired workers.

A report last month by The Nation newspapers showed that almost all the 36 states of the federation have a backlog of pension and gratuities to clear.

According to the report, apart from owing retired workers 20 year gratuities and 38 month pensions, Mr Ikpeazu’s Abia State Government has also not paid lecturers in Abia State University (ABSU) for 10 months and those in the State Polytechnic for 30 months, while Benue, Lagos, Ekiti and Adamawa are among states also owing huge amounts of gratuities.

Nigerian state governors usually pass the bills for their political activities to their states, mostly drawing hundreds of millions of naira from their treasuries to cover the costs of air tickets, hotel accommodation and shopping for themselves, aides and political hangers on.

This has led to many Nigerians on social media and news platforms decrying the development. Reacting to a report by The Punch on the meeting of Thursday between Atiku and Mr Wike, a commentator, Lanre wrote:

“What are these people doing in London, for pete’s sake? The cost of lodging at The Carlton, Jumeirah where these guys are is about =N=500,000.00 per night. These are not leaders but dealers.”