Sahara reporters have alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari will be spending a total of N98, 604, 000 on the recent Paris trip.
Over the past few days, Nigerians and politicians all over the country have been criticising the frequency of the president’s foreign trips.
In an investigative report, Sahara Reporters claimed that an average two-day long presidential trip costs between $350K and $500K.
The report read
For instance, during Mr. Buhari’s recent trip to Tehran, the capital of Iran, the estacode for accompanying Presidency officials was $105K. In addition, transportation costs stood at $45K, accommodation 200K, honorarium $10K, contingency 20K, with media coverage costing $10K.
The breakdown for the forthcoming trip to Paris is as follows: the estacode for accompanying Presidency officials is $130K, transportation $55K, accommodation $270K, honorarium $10K, contingency 20K, media coverage $10K. The total cost for the trip is $495K
In the course of our investigation, SaharaReporters found that President Buhari is scheduled to make an immediate trip to South Africa. In fact, the trip is planned to follow immediately from Mr. Buhari’s visit to Paris, France. The cost of the forthcoming South African trip is as follows: Estacode for accompanying Presidency officials $110K, transportation $35K, accommodation 220K, honorarium $10K, contingency 20K, and media coverage $10K, for a total of $405K
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu has reassured Nigerians that the President’s foreign trips are not for enjoyment.
In a recent article, he explained that “President Buhari came into office under the mantra of change. While Nigerians are yearning for change, you need someone who will set up the infrastructure, both at home and abroad for it. President Buhari is busy doing that. The change is manifest in where he visits and what he does.”