Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: foreign trips

  • Tinubu heads to Europe ahead of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week trip

    Tinubu heads to Europe ahead of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week trip

    2025-12-28 09:00:00
    In an update published by Channels Television, the Presidency said President Bola Tinubu departed Lagos for Europe to continue his end-of-year break, ahead of an official trip to Abu Dhabi for ADSW 2026 in early January.

    The trip is being framed as part of Nigeria’s engagement with global sustainability, innovation and finance conversations, with Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week positioned as a convening point for government, business and civil society.

    A State House statement echoed the itinerary and purpose, saying the President left for Europe ahead of the Abu Dhabi engagement and noting the summit theme and timing.

    The messaging emphasises schedule and participation rather than announcing any immediate domestic policy actions tied to the travel.

    Channels quoted a Presidency statement that Tinubu would continue “his end-of-year break… ahead of his official trip to Abu Dhabi,” while the State House said he “departed Lagos… for Europe” ahead of the summit.

    Echotitbits take: If Abuja wants value from ADSW, outcomes should be measurable—climate-finance pipelines, project partnerships or investment commitments. Watch for what Nigeria returns with, beyond summit optics.

    Source: The Punch — December 28, 2025
    The Punch 2025-12-28

    Photo Credit: The Punch

  • Budget review shows 20 states spent ₦494bn on debt service and foreign trips in nine months

    Budget review shows 20 states spent ₦494bn on debt service and foreign trips in nine months

    Photo Credit: The Punch
    2025-12-27 06:00:00

    Figures cited by Punch indicate an analysis of budget reports found 20 Nigerian states spent about ₦494bn on debt service and foreign travel within the first nine months of 2025.

    The report highlights how debt repayments can crowd out social and capital spending, while travel costs often become a lightning rod in public debates about austerity and value-for-money.

    Fiscal reform advocates argue that clearer procurement rules, public dashboards, and quarterly disclosures can help citizens track what travel delivers—training, investment, diplomacy—or whether it is simply overhead.

    Echotitbits take:
    The key question is opportunity cost: what didn’t get funded because debt service and travel consumed scarce resources? Watch for state-level transparency reforms, and whether assemblies demand sharper reporting on outcomes tied to trips.

    Source: The Punch — December 27, 2025 (https://punchng.com/foreign-trips-debt-service-gulp-n494bn-in-20-states/)
    The Punch December 27, 2025