Though he’s only been in office for three years, between 2011 and now, he has visited such countries like the United States, France, Uganda, Australia, Ghana, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and Ethiopia among others. A few months to the end of 2012, President Jonathan jetted out of the country 18 times to different destinations in Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and South America. Anytime he travels, the President is said to lodge in hotels that cost at least $10,000 per night. And that explains how he is spending his budget of N1.289bn for foreign trips in the 2013 fiscal year. The President started his foreign trips this year on January 7, when he travelled to Accra, Ghana to attend the inauguration of President John Mahama. On January 18, he again jetted out of the country to Cote D’Ivoire where he attended an extraordinary summit of the ECOWAS. Three days after, the President left the shores of the country to attend a summit of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. While he returned to the country on January 24, Jonathan again left for Ethiopia on January 26 to take part in the summit of the African Union’s Heads of State and Government. On February 5, the President embarked on a trip that took him to three countries: the United Kingdom, France and Egypt. So far this year, he has travelled outside the country more than 20 times. Even though there is nothing to show for such trips, the President is still counting. For a country in a financial strait,insnt these frequent trips leave a gaping hole on its treasury.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 06:13:04 +0000