A former presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, has said President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima holds the right to travel out of the country simultaneously.
Tinubu is on a two-week vacation in the United Kingdom (UK) and not long ago, he visited France, while VP Shettima is in Sweden for a two-day official visit.
A number of Nigerians have raised concerns amid heir absence, saying that no one is in charge of the country’s affairs.
But speaking with NAN on Friday, Okupe stated that the impression that no one is in charge of governance as a result of Tinubu and Shettima’s absence is “false and preposterous”.
“Presidents and chief executives, globally, do take time off to rest for a little while,” he said.
“Even in war situations, field commanders go off duty to cool off from war theatres.
“Whether the president is in Abuja, Kaura Namoda, Pankshin, Oguta, Ilesha, Yenagoa, London, or Paris, all instruments of command and control are accessible and available to him 24/7.”
The politician said critics of the president’s absence are exposing their “crass ignorance” and also, they do not appreciate the “overriding influence of modern information management on contemporary governance”.
The presidency had on Wednesday, issued a statement that the absence of both Tinubu and Shettima would not create a leadership vacuum in the country.
The special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga said Tinubu and Shettima “are fully engaged with the nation’s affairs, even while they are away”.
“All state organs are functioning as usual — the senate president, the secretary to the government of the federation, ministers, and service chiefs are all in their respective positions, ensuring the smooth operation of the government,” Onanuga had said.