Why Has President Tinubu Avoided Washington?

When it comes to international diplomacy, an official visit to the United States has always been a top priority for Nigerian leaders. But as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues his tenure, one major thing is missing: a presidential visit to Washington.

The History of the Presidential Visit

Past presidents fully understood the importance of a US visit:

• Chief Olusegun Obasanjo: He made nine separate trips to the US. Five of these were a working visit, and two were private meetings with President George W. Bush. He also made a visit for the G-8 Economic Summit and Ronald Reagan’s funeral.
• Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua: Despite a short time in office, he made two separate working trips, including a White House visit with President Bush.
• Goodluck Jonathan: He had four major diplomatic trips, including a working visit, a visit for the Nuclear Security Summit, a meeting with President Barack Obama, and a visit for the landmark US-Africa Leaders Summit.
• President Muhammadu Buhari: He traveled to the United States for four primary bilateral and multilateral summits, completing the expected visit.

The Missing Visit Under Tinubu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appears to be the only Nigerian President since 1999 who has not made a visit to the United States for a presidential meeting, working visit, or major diplomatic engagement.

Even during the last United Nations General Assembly high-level sessions in New York, he did not make the visit. Instead, he sent Vice President Kashim Shettima to handle the visit.

This is surprising because President Tinubu is not someone who dislikes traveling. In fact, traveling has been a very visible part of his administration. So, why has a United States visit been so different?

Why Is There No US Visit?

Legal commentator Ekene Aninze, Esq., has raised important questions about this missing visit. Is there a deliberate diplomatic strategy behind avoiding a Washington visit despite the importance of Nigeria-US relations?

Some wonder if there is something stopping him from following his predecessors and making a visit to meet the US President. Aninze suggested a controversial theory: maybe a clause in the agreement regarding the forfeiture of $460,000 prevents him from making a visit to the US again. According to him, a president would not waste more than a country’s budget to prevent documents from being released unless a visit was truly impossible.

Whatever the reason, the absence of a US visit continues to raise questions.