Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has publicly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Brazil, labeling it a “waste of scarce resources.”
In a statement issued in Abuja, Adebayo argued that the solutions to Nigeria’s challenges do not lie in foreign “sightseeing trips” but in effective leadership and policy. He stated that the insights Tinubu sought in Brazil were already outlined in the SDP’s manifesto, jesting that the President “could have spoken to me.”
Adebayo drew a sharp comparison between the two countries’ policies, highlighting Brazil’s successful anti-poverty program, “Bolsa Familia,” as a model of what strong leadership can achieve. He contrasted this with what he described as a failure of Nigeria’s recent economic policies, particularly the removal of fuel subsidies, which he claims has “increased poverty exponentially.”
He further criticized the management of Nigeria’s state-owned oil company, NNPC Limited, juxtaposing it with the efficient operations of Brazil’s Petrobras. Adebayo concluded that Nigeria’s economic woes are a result of policy choices, not a lack of foreign knowledge, and that the costly trip was unjustifiable.
