President Buharis Huge Travel Benefits, Made in China.

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, in a letter to the Chinese

Government condemning a $2 billion loan request by the Nigerian
Government, reminded us, at a time when most people had lost
count, that President Buharis visit to China was his 28 th trip
outside the country since taking the oath of office on 29 May
2015.
But while many Nigerians may be criticizing President
Muhammadu Buhari for being a travelling president, we are
happy to know that PMB has come back with a bag of goodies
from our overseas friends. Over six billion dollars worth of foreign
investments is certainly not something to sneer at.
The investments, we have been told, will be in the key sectors of
the economy, namely, power, solid minerals, agriculture, housing
and rail transportation. No doubt, these are critical sectors that
directly affect human lives.
Power is the engine of growth, without which manufacturing and
small scale businesses cannot thrive. 300 Megawatts of
renewable power, not subject to shortage of gas or pipeline
vandalism, is certainly commendable.
Solid minerals and agricultural development will help to diversify
and broaden the revenue base of the economy, thereby lessening
the reliance on petroleum exports as the sole revenue earner for
the country.
The level of investment in the housing sector is still unclear, as
only a 27-storey skyscraper was mentioned in the details given by
Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the Government on
Media and Publicity. Nonetheless, the importance of shelter
cannot be overstated.
Lagosians would certainly be glad to know that the Lagos Metro
Rail Transit, Red Line Project, is part of the deal. In fact, it is

getting the lion share of $2.5 billion dollars worth of investment.

The Red Line runs from Agbado to Marina. There is also an
expressway to run from Lagos through Ibadan to Abuja. Other
agreements, it has been learnt, are not yet signed but still under
negotiation.
In all, the presidents visit to China was very successful and these
benefits are the result of top level diplomacy. Nigerias economy
is in dire straits. The president needs to interact with as many
world leaders as possible to seek helphelp in revamping the
economy, recovering our looted wealth and in the fight against
terrorism.
President Obasanjo also travelled extensively and was derided as
a travelling president; but in the end, thanks to his numerous trips
abroad, our debts were cancelled by the Paris and London Clubs.
The $50 million dollars which Governor Fayose informs us has
been spent on the 28 trips, if true, is negligible compared to an
inflow of over $6 billion dollars into the economy. If each of the 27
other trips could yield even half as much as the China visit, then
the economy would surely be restored to the path of recovery.
On the strength of the made-in China benefits alone, it is
conceivable that many Nigerians would now give their tacit
approval for the president to spend more time in the air and on
foreign soil to solicit more investments.