The Federal Government has now given reasons why President Muhammadu Buhari travels outside the shores of Nigeria frequently.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador
Bulus Lolo, told newsmen on the sideline of President Buhari’s visit to
China that Nigerians owe him a great debt of gratitude for travelling
abroad where he deploys goodwill for the benefit of Nigerians.
Lolo maintained that those criticising the president are rather
uninformed, saying Nigeria has benefited a lot from the president’s
frequent trips.
“On Tuesday, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria signed an
agreement with China, providing us a $5 billion window, which is like we
have added to our reserve by about five billion because any goods you
buy today, either from China or elsewhere, and you want to pay, you
don’t have to draw from our national reserve.
“We can use this window that has been provided. That is one advantage the president brings from his frequent travels.
“Doors were locked against Nigeria, but, now, they are putting red
carpet for him to walk through, and as he walks through, Nigeria
businessmen are behind him, opening new opportunities. The second
advantage of Mr President’s travels comes from the fact that he is
trusted around the world. This is not a commodity you pick from a shelf
in a shop. It is personal to him, but, he is expending it for the good
of the country.
“The third benefit of his travels is his integrity. Where there is
trust and there is integrity, people believe you. They are ready to do
business with you,” Lolo said.
Lolo added that because the president travels, things that Nigeria
was denied are presently thrown open to the country. “Talk of three,
four years ago in our fight against Boko Haram; with money in our hands,
we were looking for equipment to buy, we couldn’t buy. Today, there is
not a single country that he has visited where he is not being invited
to tell them what he wants to buy, including the very equipment we were
denied before. It is ours to ask, and, sometimes, even at subsidised
rate.
“In a nutshell, the answer is very simple: we owe him a great debt of
gratitude for expending his goodwill, his integrity and trust that he
enjoys…”