Since William Ruto of Kenya and Bola Tinubu of Nigeria become presidents, dem don face similar criticism ova dia frequent trips to di abroad.
Dis two men don be di subject of different attacking descriptions sake of say di cost wey dey associated wit dia regular air travels no dey realistic wit di tough economic conditions for dia home kontri.
One Kenyan newspaper, di Standard, even give name to Mr Ruto as di “Flying President”. Di paper tok say, “im love for flying dey so great say e no fit pass up any opportunity” despite di hard domestic demands wey include dealing wit di high cost of living for Kenya.
Last month, Mr Tinubu go anoda trip to Europe again. Dis make Nigeria opposition leader Atiku Abubakar tok say Nigeria no need a “tourist-in-chief”. Im criticise di president private visit “while Nigeria dey drown for di ocean of insecurity”.
Pipo fit see dis view as a cheap shot – sometin any critic fit tok. Presidents need to attend heads-of-state meetings and build foreign relations. E dey important not only for diplomatic reasons, but also economic ones, as dem fit negotiate lucrative investment deals.
But some don point out say late Tanzanian President John Magufuli neva travel comot for Africa for di six years wey im dey office.
‘Personal glorification’
Kenyan foreign policy analyst Prof Macharia Munene acknowledge say some trips dey necessary but odas dey very “wasteful”.
“You get presidents wey love to dey for di air… Some of dis trips na personal glorifications, not so much for di kontri,” im tell di BBC.
Mr Ruto and Mr Tinubu tok-tok pipo defend dia trips say e dey important to help address problems wey dem dey accuse dem of ignoring.
For di eight months since im inauguration, Mr Tinubu don make 14 trips – an average of two trips per month. But Mr Ruto don make about 50 journeys go abroad since im become president for 2022 – an average of more dan three per month.
For comparison, Mr Ruto predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, bin go just one foreign trip in a month for im time in office. Dis one dey similar to di record of Nigeria former president, Muhammadu Buhari, and in terms of total days wey dem spend abroad, di difference no dey too much.
Oda world leaders don cut dia air travels, but Mr Ruto and Mr Tinubu dey face questions ova weda every trip dey necessary.
Di Nigerian and Kenyan leaders bin dey togeda for Europe at di end of last month – Mr Ruto go Italy to attend di Italy-Africa summit while Mr Tinubu dey kontinu im unexplained “private visit” to France. Na di third time im don go di kontri since last May and since den, Mr Ruto don also dey on oda trips.
For June 2023, just three weeks afta im enta office, Mr Tinubu travel go Paris for a two-day climate summit. Im don already go dat kontri three months earlier “to rest” and plan di transition shortly afta dem elect am as president.
From Paris, im go di UK for private toks wit im predecessor, who bin also travel to “rest” afta di elections. A week later, Mr Tinubu go Guinea-Bissau for a meeting of West African bloc Ecowas, followed by anoda trip to Nairobi.
For August, im visit Benin, and in September, im go India. E later go United Arab Emirates and den di US for di UN General Assembly before e return go Paris.
Tinubu dey home for di whole of October before im resume im travels wit a trip to Saudi Arabia, den Guinea-Bissau and Germany at di end of November and a week before im later travel go Dubai.
Di Nigerian presidency say di trips dey important to attract foreign investment.
“On every foreign trip wey I embark on, my message to investors and oda business pipo na di same. Nigeria dey ready and open for business,” President Tinubu tok for im 2024 New Year message.
Mr Ruto travel schedule since im inauguration for 2022 don become more hectic.
Between September of dat year and last December, im travel abroad at least twice every month. For May 2023, im make five trips. Im also travel go various African kontris- Europe and di US for global events and bilateral meetings.
Dis year, for January, im don go Uganda, di Democratic Republic of Congo and Italy. And already dis month, Mr Ruto don dey Japan and di UAE.
Dis no be just di question of how many times, but also di question of how much e cost.
Mr Tinubu don spend at least 3.4bn naira ($2.2m; £1.8m) on domestic and foreign travel for di first six months of im presidency – dis na 36% more dan di budgeted amount for 2023, according to wetin Nigerian newspaper Punch bin report, as dem cite GovSpend, a civic tech platform wey dey track goment spending.
For Kenya, di Controller of Budget, an independent office wey dey oversee goment spending, show a significant increase for di office of di president travel expenditure for di year to July last year – wey also include nine months of Mr Ruto as president.
Overall spending for both domestic and foreign travel for di year was over 1.3bn Kenyan shillings ($9.2m; £7.3m), wey exceed di travel budget for di previous year by more than 30%.
Di Kenyan goment tok-tok pesin no respond to di BBC questions about Mr Ruto trips, even though dem don try to justify di di trips.
Mr Ruto imself don tok say im no dey “travel like a tourist” and di trips dey necessary to get foreign investment and create employment for Kenyans wey dey abroad. Im add say im recently secure more dan 300,000 job opportunities through negotiations.
Afta di recent trip to Japan, Mr Ruto say im don secure deals wey worth more dan $2.3bn.
While stressing di benefits of di presidential trips, both Nigeria and Kenya don also take some action to counter di criticism of goment employees travelling abroad.
Kenya say e don cut civil service travel budget by 50% in di face of accusations say na “wastage” on domestic and foreign trips. E be like say dis no affect di president imself, who say im no go shun trips as long as dem dey beneficial.
Last month, di Nigerian president announce a reduction for di official travel delegation by about 60%. Na tok-tok pesin Ajuri Ngelale bin announce di directive wey include cutting down di president own travel entourage, but dis no concern weda im go cut di number of im trips.
Yet, no be only for Kenya and Nigeria di cost of travel na major concern.
As Congolese citizens dey prepare to go to di polls last year, one of di criticisms of President Félix Tshisekedi na di number of trips im don make. Im also get allegations say di president no get anytin to show for am.
Last November, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera bin suspend all international travel for imself and im ministers, and order say all those abroad make dem return due to di economic problems wey di kontri dey face.
Some oda kontris wey also get to address travel spending by government officials since last year include Uganda, di Gambia, Namibia and Sierra Leone, wey di leaders of some of di kontris don collect name by local newspapers as di “flying president” – just like Mr Ruto of Kenya.
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