Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has said late former President Muhammadu Buhari wasted Nigeria’s money by attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) throughout his eight years in office.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Omokri defended President Bola Tinubu’s absence at the ongoing 80th UNGA, insisting that criticisms against him were misplaced.
“People criticising President Tinubu for not attending the United Nations General Assembly have pliable minds that are easily manipulated. General Buhari attended each UNGA for the eight years he was President. Of what benefit was his attendance to Nigeria?”
He argued that under Buhari, Nigeria’s economy deteriorated despite consistent participation at the annual UN meeting.
“Under Buhari, Nigeria’s economy went from being the third fastest growing economy in the world, with a GDP of $510 billion in 2014, to one of the world’s most sluggish economies in 2023 when Buhari handed over to President Tinubu with a GDP of $187.76 billion.”
The former presidential aide challenged critics of Tinubu to name any economic gain from Buhari’s trips.
“Can any of those criticising President Tinubu tell Nigerians precisely one economic benefit of General Buhari’s eight hugely expensive UNGA visits to the nation?”
Omokri stressed that Tinubu had no travel restrictions, noting that he attended the 78th UNGA in 2023 and other summits that yielded investments for Nigeria.
“But the man is a Cum Laude (First Class) accountant who has done a Cost-Benefit Analysis on Nigeria’s UNGA attendance.
“A Presidential attendance at the UNGA can cost Nigeria as much as $10-20 million. Meanwhile, what are we getting out of it? If you do a Dollar Cost Averaging analysis of the costs and financial impact of a Presidential attendance at UNGA, it is a liability in accounting terms.”
Drawing comparisons, he said China’s Xi Jinping rarely attends the UNGA, yet his country’s economy continues to grow rapidly.
“China’s Xi Jinping hardly attends the United Nations General Assembly. The last time he attended was the 76th UNGA in 2021. In 2025, he will be represented by his deputy, Li Qianq. The Chinese are not making a big fuss about it. Their economy is growing faster than almost every other economy on Earth.
“So why are we making a big deal about Vice President Kashim Shettima representing President Tinubu at the 80th UNGA?” Omokri wrote.
He added that Nigeria needs results-driven engagements and stressed Tinubu’s recent gains from international meetings.
“He attended the BRICS Summit in Brazil in July of this year and returned with a $2.5 billion investment in Nigeria by Brazilian meat producer JBS.
“Such visits are why, in less than two years, President Tinubu added $67 billion to Nigeria’s GDP, moving us from a ₦269.29 trillion economy on May 29, 2023, when he became President, to ₦372.8 trillion today.
“No government in Nigeria’s history has expanded the country’s economy by 25% in just two years.”
Omokri maintained that Buhari’s UNGA attendances produced no clear gains and urged Tinubu’s critics to present evidence otherwise.
“So again, I ask his critics to please enumerate the tangible benefits to Nigeria from the eight United Nations General Assemblies that General Buhari attended at a heavy financial cost to Nigeria.”
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