LONDON — President Bola Tinubu just wrapped a high-gloss state visit to the UK, complete with royal handshakes and a massive £746 million deal to fix Nigeria’s decaying ports. But while the champagne was flowing in London, the mood back home in Nigeria is a lot more “sobering.”
The President is jetting back with a briefcase full of promises: a massive contract for British Steel to overhaul the Lagos and Tin Can Island ports and a new “fast-track” pact to deport visa overstayers. His team is hailing it as a masterclass in “shuttle diplomacy” that will eventually lower food prices by making trade more efficient.
However, for the average Nigerian, these “global wins” feel like watching a blockbuster movie while your own house is on fire.
Despite inflation cooling to 15.1% earlier this year, the “Tinubu Dividend” hasn’t quite hit the streets. Critics are calling out the optics of the trip—noting that $50 billion in global investment pledges since 2023 hasn’t yet stopped the “sapa” (hardship) or the insecurity plaguing the North.
“He’s winning the world, but is he losing the street?” asked one Lagos analyst. As Tinubu swaps the luxury of London for the heat of Abuja, the pressure is on to prove that these fancy British deals can actually put rice in the pot.
