President Muhammadu Buhari will be leaving for Washington for his meeting with President Barack Obama next week Monday with an announced 32-man delegation with about 10 aides who will be accompanying governors, ex-governors, State House officials and businessmen.
This trip which has about 229 people will cost Nigeria about N2.2billion of tax payers money from our virtually empty Treasury.
An announcement from the Presidency states that those expected to travel with the President include Governors Kashim Shettima (Borno), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa) and Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) Each with 15 aids.
This extravagant delegation will also have Chibuike Amaechi's former Rivers State Governor, Pastor Tunde Bakare; former President of the Newspapers Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and publisher of The Democrat, Ismaila Isa Funtua; a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau; and Halilu Sheni, a businessman.
This delegation will include officials within the presidency and some heads of parastatals. About 10 government officials are already in the United States preparing grounds for the Visit.
This comes as a huge surprise as the president announced recently that the country is broke necessitating a decision to slash his salary by half.
This is indeed a case of superficial politics as the proposed trip to the US is obviously a conduit pipe to squandered available resources