S’East APC justifies Buhari’s foreign trips

The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southeast zone has justified the frequent travels abroad of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying it was part of the effort and sacrifice to save the country.

Replying to criticisms that the President was wasting money that should have been invested for development as well as into other areas of need, Spokesperson of the Southeast leadership caucus, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, said that Buhari was acting nobly as the task of restoring the country was not one that could be left for a delegate.

Okechukwu said: “We of the South East Leadership Caucus of APC, fully support President Muhammadu Buhari’s frequent trips abroad.

For us, Buhari is acting nobly as any good father, whose family is not only deadly broke, but his house is on fire. He is running helter-skelter to save our dear country. This is not the kind of task to delegate. As a father of a broken house, he has no alternative except to run to friends and well wishers in a desperate bid to salvage our dear country, especially, when the money which could have been our reserved for the rainy day had been carted away by marauders.

To worsen matters, the price of crude oil is on a free fall. Otherwise, his lethargy and inertia means there will be no food on the table. That’s the truth of the matter.”

On why the Foreign Minister and diplomats cannot do this, Okechukwu added: “No sane person can down play the crucial role of the Minister of Foreign Affairs nor that of Nigerian diplomats in over 100 missions abroad. However, there is the Buhari phenomenon; therefore his trip for us is to harvest the goodwill his election has generated for our dear country.

“Let me ask you: “Could the house of Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been happy if the Foreign Minister broke the news to them that Nigeria will rather support the Coalition of States Against
Terrorism?’

“This is how Mr. President diplomatically and graciously delivered the message to King Salman Bin Abdullaziz Al Saud, ‘Even if we are not part of it, we support you. I must thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the recent coalition to address the menace of international terrorism.’ Nobody could have done better to navigate between Nigeria’s secular state and the sensibilities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“We challenge any pundit to contradict the gains of his immediate trip after resumption to our neighbours for assistance on the Boko Haram insurgents? Or his trip to G-8 for economic support and foreign direct investment? Or his trip to South Africa to negotiate with the Chinese President on bilateral trade and investment with China?”

Okechukwu posited that the party was hopeful of the President’s intending official visit to China, as projects like revamping of Enugu Coal will be top on the agenda.