Adesina blasts Fayose, Sahara Reporters, other critics of Buhari’s foreign trips

…The wailers wail but in vain, says Special Adviser

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MALTA: FROM the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, has come harsh words for the critics of President Muhammadu Buhari over his foreign trips since assumption of office.

Apparently saying that the presence of the President at the ongoing Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta was justified, Adesina, in a response to a comment on his Facebook, castigated the critics, saying the President’s trips were in order.

“Not less than 27 Presidents and Prime Ministers are here personally already,” Adesina stressed to press home his point.  “They include those of Canada, UK, Australia, Nigeria, Ghana, and many others.”

He added: “Queen of England and Prince Charles also here. Equally in Malta is President Francois Hollande of France, though his country is not a member of the Commonwealth.”

“This is a high calibre outing, and no mistake,” the Special Adviser said, adding: “The wailers wail but in vain.”

It would be recalled that Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, had recently criticised the President on his foreign trips.

Fayose told Buhari to stay at home to govern the country rather than “junketing around the globe and acting like a

saint before the international community.”

Similarly, an online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, said that since inauguration the President had travelled outside the country no fewer than 40 times.  It described Buhari as a “junketer-in-chief.”

Before the CHOGM trip, Adesina had said in a release that Buhari would participate at the Commonwealth meet which comprises of “Britain, Nigeria and 51 other countries that work together to pursue common goals and promote development, democracy, peace, security and good governance.”

“President Buhari and other Heads of State and Government who will be in Malta for this year’s summit are expected to deliberate on fresh Commonwealth initiatives on development and climate change with a view to adding greater value to ongoing global efforts in these areas,” the Special Adviser said.

The gathering would also feature the presentation of a progress report on the eradication of polio, he further stressed.

“At the conclusion of the Summit on Sunday, President Buhari will leave Malta for Paris where he will present Nigeria’s statement at the United Nations Climate Change Conference scheduled to open in the French capital on Monday, November 30,” Adesina added.

The Special Adviser also said: “The President will join over 100 other world leaders at the Leaders Event on the opening day of the conference which will be hosted by President Francois Hollande of France and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moon.

“President Buhari will also participate in a summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Republic which has been scheduled to take place on December 2 in Paris on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change.

“Deliberations at the Paris meeting of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Republic will focus mainly on the war against Boko Haram and other security issues of common interest to participating countries.”

President Buhari, according to Adesina, was accompanied on the trip by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed and the National Security Adviser, retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno.