Presidential leadership and presidential vacation

The first time the Head of the Nigerian national government went on an annual vacation, it was at the farm house of Nigeria’s first and only Prime Minister, the late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, located near Bauchi. Prior to this, the Prime Minister only had to visit foreign countries on official state visits. Each visit was accorded the deserving respect for our sovereign state.

President JF Kennedy, in his appreciation telephone call after the Prime Minister’s visit, couldn’t but “look forward to seeing him back at the White House again.” The President’s call to the Prime Minister was part of a ceremony formally inaugurating service by the new Syncom II satellite launched on July 26, 1961.

That was a Nigeria with leaders who understood how to exercise our sovereignty with dignity, respect, and honour for the country and our people whom sovereignty belongs to, creating a presidential leadership precedent that, though abandoned by recent Nigerian presidencies, must be followed religiously.

So, when I read the news that just a day after the 64th independence anniversary of our country, the President is travelling to another independent country for vacation, particularly the country we fought hard to “gain our independence” from, I struggled to situate our sovereign dignity in today’s Nigeria, with the bearer-in-chief of our sovereignty, either past or present, travelling outside our sovereign territory to enjoy the dividends of the same purpose they campaigned vigorously to govern Nigeria—a conducive atmosphere for “vacation,” healthcare, quality education, security, efficient social service delivery, among others.

Again, curious and out of my naivety on the precepts of presidential leadership, as it relates to global best protocols on presidents visiting another country, I searched on where other world countries are vacating presidents’ visits to clear their mind, rest the body, restore energy, and add a touch of humanity to their political identity. The White House History website says that “presidents have found different ways to escape the pressures and politics of the position.

For early leaders, it was a matter of course that they would leave the White House for the summer to tend to personal businesses or farms. The modern-day presidency is a year-round job. So, while the work often follows, the countryside of Virginia or the seaside of Maine can provide a better backdrop for writing speeches or draughting policy—and spending quality time with family and friends.”

Whereas there is no legal framework guiding against a country’s president travelling abroad for vacation, medical tourism, and other related matters, it is a degenerative assault on the sovereign dignity of a country for its political leaders and public officials, particularly the president of a country, to unceremoniously travel to another country to access the same social services that ab initio make their country an independent state.

From the second day to the fifth day of October, both the immediate past president and the incumbent president were abroad, either for vacation or for medical-related reasons. Former President Buhari had earlier stayed in London for a month, and while he was there, he paid a visit to the London abode of the Nigerian former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon—meaning that two Nigerian former presidents and the current president were all in London at the same time and for the same reason of either vacation or healthcare, as at the time President Tinubu arrived in London.

The president, as the chief servant of the people of Nigeria, is morally and constitutionally bound to build, utilise, and promote the Nigerian brand of tourism to the entire world. You cannot promote tourism in Nigeria or other essential sectors like the health and educational sectors when you continue to access the same services abroad. Such unpresidential practices can only lead to a failure to fulfil campaign promises in building a functional and attractive Nigeria.

In 2015, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the top 10 leading causes of death for Nigerians included health-related issues. During the 2015 presidential campaign, the then APC candidate and later elected president promised to prioritise the health sector. Unfortunately, throughout his tenure, his medical needs were outsourced abroad. Through the eight years of former President Buhari’s presidency, media tracking of his medical tourism revealed that he reportedly spent 225 days in London attending to his ailing health. And at the end of his tenure, WHO reported that Nigeria accounted for the second-highest number of maternal and child deaths globally.

The former president was not alone; almost all governors and 70 percent of public officials prefer to travel abroad to seek medical services, contributing to an estimated $2.5 billion (N4.7 trillion) in medical tourism annually.

Tourism is a huge global business, and the government in any country has a significant role to play in building critical infrastructure and conducive environments that attract a thriving tourism ecosystem. In France, tourism accounts for 8 percent of the GDP, with 100 million international tourists visiting France in 2023. In the first eleven months of 2023 alone, France recorded 58.9 billion euros in international revenue, more than over 91 percent of the value of exports that Nigeria generated in mineral fuels, which amounted to 60 billion dollars in 2023.

With seventeen million international tourists visiting Dubai in 2023, tourism is a major part of Dubai’s economy. Yet, we have an untapped Yusufari in Yobe State, a village slightly known for its sand dunes similar to Safari Desert in Dubai. To lead the subnational governments in prioritising public-private partnerships and investments to harness the enormous potentials of tourism in boosting the economies of states, the Federal Ministry of Tourism must initiate a presidential leadership tourism initiative in critical areas and infrastructures that help preserve our cultural heritage, build agricultural tourism centres, a medical system that is efficient, and ensure security for prospective tourists.

Perhaps now is the time to decisively introduce a National Interest Act, compelling public officials, particularly Nigerian presidents, governors, lawmakers, members of the judiciary, and other public officials, from foreign vacation, medical care, and education for their families.

The argument that this will infringe on the rights of public officials and their families must be considered in the context of the derogation from human rights. Once a prospective public official agrees to the rules of serving Nigeria and accessing the same social services as regular Nigerians, it should be considered that the public official waives his or her right to access the identified social services abroad, as the fundamental human rights as constitutionally envisaged apply to Nigerians in Nigeria.
It should be as simple as resigning if you cannot abide by such a legal framework for public service in Nigeria.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.