In the glittering halls of Windsor Castle, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was feted like a monarch himself as King Charles III rolled out the red carpet for Nigeria’s leader in the first state visit by a Nigerian president to the United Kingdom in 37 years. The pomp, the pageantry, the carriage procession, the state banquet, it was all very regal. But back home in Nigeria, where millions battle hunger, insecurity, and crushing poverty, the entire spectacle reeks of obscene extravagance.

This was not diplomacy.

Let us call it what it was, a shameful and wasteful jamboree at taxpayers’ expense.

The cost alone is staggering. Reports put the two-day visit at about 5 billion naira, money that could have funded hospitals, schools, or security operations in a nation where banditry and insurgency daily claim lives. And this is no isolated indulgence. Since assuming office in May 2023, President Tinubu has embarked on dozens of foreign trips. In just 33 months, he and Vice President Kashim Shettima have undertaken 69 trips across 35 countries, spending a collective 315 days abroad. The presidency has already blown through 34.39 billion naira on international travel in two years, with another 7.4 billion naira budgeted for 2026 alone. These are not mere jaunts; they are a pattern of absentee leadership while the country burns.

Adding insult to injury was the optics of subservience. President Tinubu bowing before King Charles, the ceremonial head of a former colonial power sent an appalling message of deference at a time when Nigeria should be asserting its sovereignty and dignity on the global stage. The massive Nigerian contingent that trailed him only amplified the embarrassment. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Attorney-General, multiple ministers (Solid Minerals, Finance, Trade, Information, and more), and an army of aides turned what should have been a lean diplomatic mission into a bloated circus.

How many of these officials were truly essential?

How many were simply along for the lavish ride?

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s competing priorities scream for attention. Over 141 million Nigerians are projected to live in poverty by the end of 2026.

Food insecurity affects tens of millions.

Insecurity has turned farmlands into killing fields.

Inflation bites relentlessly.

And Yet...

The President jets off repeatedly, leaving domestic crises unattended. The timing of this UK visit, amid economic hardship and just as controversial tax hikes take effect comes across as abysmally tone-deaf. CBI News wonders why President Tinubu is fine with posing gleefully in expensive chariots drawn by thoroughbred horses while majority of his country’s citizens wallow in abject poverty.

Picture the scene, a family which cannot afford three square meals, healthcare, education, housing, shambolic infrastructure and suboptimal living standards see the President and other leaders cavorting lavishly without a care in the world. While Nigerian children go to bed hungry, their President, who swore an oath to better their lives, was instead riding in a gold-trimmed carriage through the gates of Windsor Castle.

To be fair, the visit was not entirely without gains. Bilateral trade between Nigeria and the UK hit a record £8.1 billion. New investment agreements were sealed under the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership, including a £746 million deal to modernize Nigerian seaports. British and Nigerian firms announced projects in energy, infrastructure, fintech, and creative industries expected to create hundreds of jobs on both sides. King Charles rightly highlighted the “living bridge” of the Nigerian diaspora in the UK.

These are positive outcomes....on paper

However, CBI News believes these supposed benefits pale into insignificance against the negatives. Promised Foreign Direct Investments from past trips have been loudly trumpeted by the Presidency, yet ordinary Nigerians see no relief in their lifestyles. The port deal and trade figures will not feed the hungry today, improve the security situation or reduce the crushing cost of living.

The billions squandered on flights, hotels, banquets, and a bloated entourage represent money diverted from urgent national needs. Diplomacy is important, but not when it becomes an endless global tour at the expense of governance at home.

President Tinubu’s frequent flyer status has become a national embarrassment. Nigeria deserves a leader who prioritizes fixing the country over chasing foreign photo-ops and royal handshakes. The negatives of this Windsor Castle jamboree, the obscene cost, the subservient optics, the massive delegation, and the sheer frequency of such trips, far outweigh any ceremonial gains or long-term trade promises.

Until the President demonstrates that his globetrotting actually delivers tangible, immediate dividends to the suffering masses, these junkets will remain what they truly are: a shameful waste of scarce resources.

CBI News calls on Nigerians on all walks of life to demand full transparency on the exact cost of this visit and all foreign trips.

Enough of the jamboree.