By Godfrey AKON
As President Bola Tinubu departed Abuja on Sunday, May 3, on a visit to France, Kenya and Rwanda, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has set his priorities for his proposed visit to the United States.
Tinubu, who was earlier scheduled to depart on Saturday, moved his visit a day forward leaving on Sunday but with no explanation for the one-day shift by the Presidency.
A statement by presidential media aide, Bayo Onanuga, indicated that the president’s first stop will be in France, after which he will depart for Nairobi, Kenya, to attend the Africa-France Summit scheduled to begin next week.
“President Tinubu’s participation at the summit from May 11th to May 12th will underscore Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to strengthening strategic partnerships with African nations and the French Republic,” the statement said.
At the end of the Kenyan summit, President Tinubu will depart for Kigali, Rwanda, to attend the annual Africa CEO Forum, taking place between May 14th and 15th.
With the theme “Scale or Fail”, this year’s Africa CEO Forum will be the largest gathering of African private sector leaders, investors, and policymakers, focusing on accelerating economic transformation through shared scale, regional integration, and increased cross-border investment.
Held in partnership with the International Finance Corporation, IFC, the summit brings together over 2,000 top executives and national leaders to debate strategies for building resilient, competitive industries.
He will return to Nigeria at the end of the Rwanda summit.
In another development, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has unveiled his agenda with his proposed visit to the United States to meet with policy and institutional stakeholders to be: the alarming deterioration of security, governance, and economic stability in Nigeria.
Atiku, in a statement by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, said that “Nigeria is facing a full-blown internal crisis, one that can no longer be downplayed, politicized, or explained away. From the ravaging violence in the North-West and North-East, to the persistent bloodshed in the Middle Belt, and the growing spread of kidnapping and criminality across the country,” warning that the “State is steadily losing its grip on its most fundamental responsibility: the protection of lives and property.”
According to him, the situation has moved beyond isolated incidents to a pattern of systemic failure. Communities are being overrun, livelihoods destroyed, and citizens abandoned to their fate, arguing that any government that cannot guarantee basic security forfeits the moral basis of its mandate.
In his words, Nigerians are not just tired, they are being stretched to the limits of endurance.
Ibe said his principal rejects the notion that engaging global partners amounts to inviting foreign interference, stressing that Nigeria does not exist in isolation and cannot pretend that its internal failures have no external implications.
“He maintains that the world already sees what is happening; the real question is whether Nigerian leaders are prepared to confront it honestly.
“He reiterates that only Nigerians will decide Nigeria’s leadership, but insists that international partners have a legitimate interest in the stability, governance standards, and democratic health of a country as strategically important as Nigeria.”
According to him, responsible leadership does not hide from scrutiny, it welcomes it as a pathway to improvement.
In a direct message to the current administration, Atiku warns against complacency and deflection, stating that power is not an entitlement but a responsibility, and that Nigerians expect results, not explanations.
The statement did not however state when the visit is expected to take place.
