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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has criticized a planned international press conference in London by key ministers in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
The rights group, in a statement on Wednesday, labeled the trip an “extravagant and insensitive public relations jamboree” funded by taxpayers at a time when Nigeria is grappling with severe economic hardship and unresolved domestic crises.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, condemned the Federal Government’s initiative as a “monumental show of irresponsibility, tone-deaf governance, and outright mockery of millions of suffering Nigerians.”
Reports indicate that a high-profile delegation, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; and heads of other significant government agencies, is scheduled to travel to London. Their mission is to unveil the achievements and legacy projects of the Tinubu administration at an international press conference, an event being coordinated by Bode Adeyemi, the Project Internal Coordinator of the President Bola Tinubu Midterm Legacy Projects Review Committee.
However, HURIWA vehemently opposed the undertaking, denouncing it as an unconscionable squandering of public funds and an insult to the intelligence of Nigerians enduring the daily struggles of economic hardship, escalating insecurity, widespread unemployment, and failing infrastructure.
“It is both disgraceful and inexcusable that ministers who have failed to communicate transparently with Nigerians at home, failed to provide effective public services, and failed to deliver tangible improvements to the daily lives of citizens, are now jetting off to the UK to tell foreigners fairytales of imaginary success stories,” HURIWA stated.
The organization questioned the rationale behind the London location for such an event. “Is it in London that the Tinubu government suddenly finds Nigerians who need to be told what they have achieved? Or is this just another elitist vanity project to wine and dine with diaspora allies, launder the administration’s image abroad, and suppress the truth about the glaring poverty and failures back home?”
HURIWA further asserted that the press conference is merely a “propaganda-driven public relations stunt intended to whitewash the dismal performance of President Tinubu’s administration.
The group argued that in barely two years, the administration has implemented “some of the most debilitating policies and anti-people reforms in Nigeria’s recent history.”
“From the reckless removal of fuel subsidies without a social safety net, to the floating of the naira that has devastated the value of the currency, this administration has inflicted needless suffering on Nigerians.
HURIWA emphasized. “Inflation is out of control. Security agencies are overstretched. Hunger, kidnappings, and violent crimes are rampant. Civil servants and pensioners are still owed, while the national debt continues to spiral out of control. These are not achievements to be celebrated abroad but failures to be accounted for at home.”
The rights group also raised concerns about the transparency and budgetary justification of the London trip, asking whether the National Assembly approved the expenditure and if Nigerians were informed of the cost implications. HURIWA accused the administration of prioritizing propaganda over good governance and using public funds for a publicity campaign with no tangible benefit to the nation.
“It is hypocritical for the same ministers who demand sacrifices from ordinary Nigerians, telling them to endure hunger and suffering for future gains, to turn around and embark on a luxury tour of Europe, pretending to promote ‘legacy projects.’ If these projects are so impactful, Nigerians would already be feeling their effects in their homes, communities, hospitals, schools, and markets—not on foreign soil,” Onwubiko stressed.
HURIWA also criticized the APC UK Chapter Chairman, Tunde Doherty, for suggesting the conference would present the right narrative about the administration, warning against any attempt to suppress the truth and mislead the international community.”
“No amount of choreographed press conferences in London can erase the suffering of Nigerians. No glitzy compendium or website will wipe away the anguish of a mother who cannot feed her children, or a farmer who cannot access his fields due to terrorists and bandits. The real narrative is what the world sees on the streets of Nigeria—not what is staged in a Hilton ballroom in London.”
Reaffirming its commitment to exposing bad governance and promoting accountability, HURIWA demanded the immediate cancellation of the London event. The group urged President Tinubu to recall his ministers to focus on addressing Nigeria’s numerous challenges instead of engaging in a futile bid for applause overseas.
HURIWA also called on the National Assembly to summon the involved ministers and demand full disclosure of the funding, purpose, and anticipated outcomes of the trip, deeming such an extravagant undertaking during a national crisis as not only offensive but criminally irresponsible.
“The people deserve better. Nigeria deserves leaders who will stay at home, roll up their sleeves, and work for the common good—not those who seek global validation while their citizens suffer. If there are achievements, let them be seen and felt, not announced from overseas podiums.”
Furthermore, the rights group concluded by urging civil society organizations, the media, and all patriotic Nigerians to resist the “institutionalization of impunity, propaganda, and elitist arrogance” that it believes characterizes the current administration.