‘Tinubu at peace in France, Nigerians voted for it’ – Rufai Oseni

Arise Television’s Morning Show anchor, Rufai Oseni, has said President Bola Tinubu can run Nigeria remotely from France if he chooses to do so, arguing that Nigerians voted for his administration.

Oseni made the remark on Tuesday while commenting on Tinubu’s continued absence from Nigeria and his recent foreign trips.

According to him, Nigerians should not complain about the President’s frequent trips because they elected him despite his preference for spending extended periods abroad.

“You get what you vote for, and I don’t know why Nigerians are complaining,” Oseni said.

“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. So you voted him in.

“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. That’s his modus operandi,” he said.

Oseni also questioned the cost and benefits of the President’s foreign trips, saying he was more concerned about the investments that had actually returned to Nigeria as a result of the travels.

“At least, if you are going to burn N37 billion on your foreign trips, like they said he burnt, how much investment came back to Nigeria?” he asked.

“I’m not talking about audio investment. I’m not talking about intention. I’m not talking about MOU. I’m talking about final investment destination. So it’s the cost-benefit ratio that I’m more concerned about,” he added.

The presenter also criticised Tinubu’s continued absence from the country amid the deaths of 37 miners in Niger State, arguing that the incident should have prompted the President to return to Nigeria and lead the response.

Oseni said Tinubu could have returned “even for the sake of optics, to show that ‘I’m on ground. What is happening? Let’s lead this investigation.'”

He, however, noted that if the President believed he could direct affairs from abroad, he could continue to do so.

“But if he thinks he can direct from abroad, I mean, even the likes of his spokespeople have said he can direct from abroad. He can work anywhere. He can even run the country remotely.

“If he even deems it that it’s France that he wants to run the country from, he can go ahead. That’s what Nigerians voted for. So it’s what you voted for. I don’t think there’s any problem with that,” Oseni said.