Vice President Sambo, Ministers To Travel Abroad After May 29 (See Their Reason)

President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice-President Namadi Sambo and many ministers have concluded plans to travel abroad shortly after the May 29 inauguration of a new government.

While Jonathan had said he would travel out of the country for a much deserved rest after the May 29 inauguration, Sambo is planning to travel to London on May 31, two days after the inauguration of Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s new President,Punch reports.

It was learnt that the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had also concluded plans to return to the US after the President elect’s inauguration. However, her Petroleum Resources counterpart, Mrs.Diezani Allison-Madueke, has already travelled out of the country.

Though sources close to the minister said she would return to the country to attend the last Federal Executive Council meeting of President Jonathan’s administration, the minister would leave the country after the FEC meeting.

A senior Presidency official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, however, told one of our correspondents that the vice-president was planning to rest in London.

According to him, Sambo will only rest for about two weeks abroad before returning to the country.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity, Umar Sani, however, said the planned trip could not be attributed to any fear of persecution by the incoming government.

Sani said if Sambo was afraid of Buhari, he would have left the country before the May 29 inauguration day.

He said,

“There is nothing to fear. Vice-President Namadi Sambo is not afraid of any persecution or victimization by the incoming government. His planned trip has nothing to do with fear. If he is afraid of anything, he would have gone before May 29.”

Like Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister of Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, also planned to travel abroad, but he said he would leave for the ongoing World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.

He stressed that he would be back in the country when the exercise is over.

When asked if the trip was to avoid Buhari’s manhunt for perceived corrupt public officials, the minister said, “It is strange to me and I have not heard anything like that.”