No vacuum in leadership even as Tinubu, Shettima are out of country – Bayo Onanuga

The presidency, on Wednesday October 16, 2024, reacted to insinuations in the public space regarding the absence of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima from the country, saying their absence does not portend any vacuum in the country’s leadership.

Tinubu had left the Nigerian shores on October 3 for a two-week working vacation to the United Kingdom, while Shettima, on Wednesday, left Abuja for a two-day working visit to Sweden.

Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, in a release, titled, “There’s No Vacuum in Leadership as the President and VP Are Out of the Country,” reacted to the development.

Onanuga emphasised that the absence of both the number one and number two citizens from Nigeria did not translate to a vacuum in the country’s governance.

According to the statement, all state organs are functional as usual, with Senate President, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, ministers, and service chiefs being in their respective positions, ensuring the smooth operation of the government.

The presidency gave an assurance that Tinubu, who had been attending to official functions in the last few days of his working leave, would soon return to the country before the expiration of his leave.

It also stressed that Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution did not explicitly make provision for physical presence of both the president and vice president at all times before carrying out their official duties.

The statement said, “Following enquiries by journalists as to who is in charge of our country as the president and vice president are out of the country, we want to clarify:

“It is important to note that the president and vice president are fully engaged with the nation’s affairs, even while they are away. There is no leadership vacuum in the country.

“President Tinubu left the country on 3 October and is on a two-week working vacation. During this time, he has been busy answering phones and issuing directives on matters of state.

“He will soon return to the country before the vacation officially expires.

“The vice president departed the country Wednesday for Sweden on an official visit, working for Nigeria.

“All state organs are functioning as usual. The Senate President, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, ministers, and service chiefs are all in their respective positions, ensuring the smooth operation of the government.”

Onanuga added, “We had a similar situation in 2022, when former President Buhari and former Vice President Osinbajo were found to be simultaneously out of the country. President Buhari attended UNGA 77, while Osinbajo participated in the burial of Queen Elizabeth ll.

“We have also experienced it during this administration. Between late April and early May this year, while President Tinubu was in London, after visiting the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, where he attended the World Economic Forum, Vice President Shettima left Nigeria, first of all, for Nairobi to attend the International Development Association (IDA21) Heads of State Summit.

“After returning, he left for Dallas, Texas, to attend the US-Africa Business Summit organised by the Corporate Council on Africa. President Tinubu returned home on 8 May. During this time, the government’s machinery did not halt.”

The statement explained, “The constitution, a testament to our adaptability in the virtual age, does not explicitly require the physical presence of either the president or the vice president in the country at all times to fulfil his duties.”

Meanwhile, Shettima departed Abuja for Sweden on a two-day visit to represent Nigeria in bilateral engagements with the Scandinavian nation.

At the instance of Tinubu, the vice president, according to a statement by his media assistant, Stanley Nkwocha, during the visit, would engage in high-level bilateral talks with key government officials, including a meeting with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and the Swedish prime minister.

Shettima would use the visit to explore opportunities for strengthened collaboration between Nigeria and Sweden in areas, such as ICT, innovation, education, digitalisation, sustainable transport, mining, and agriculture.

He would also meet with key stakeholders in both the government and private sector, the statement said.

The vice president would also meet with Norrsken, a Stockholm-based venture capital impact investor, which recently launched Norrsken22, a $205 million tech investment fund for Africa.

Norrsken22 is a technology growth fund, backed by over 30 prominent unicorn founders, partnering exceptional entrepreneurs to build Africa’s next tech giants.

The meeting with Norrsken would provide insights into how Nigerian entrepreneurs could benefit from this fund and further strengthen the technology ecosystem in Nigeria.

Notably, 40 per cent of the investments from Norrsken22 are expected to be allocated to Nigerian technology entrepreneurs.

Twelve Nigerian private sector companies doing business with Sweden are going independently as a private sector bloc.

While in Sweden, Shettima is also expected to articulate Nigeria’s economic vision and the reforms being undertaken by the administration to create a business-friendly environment in Nigeria for investors.

The myriad opportunities in Africa’s largest economy would also be showcased. The vice president is expected back in the country on Saturday.