Tinubu’s Investment Trips and the Promises Yet to Manifest

By Tahir Ahmad

I have watched President Bola Ahmed Tinubu crisscross continents with both admiration and concern. Admiration, because he has managed to bring back tangible promises and deals that could reshape parts of Nigeria’s economy. Concern, because so many of these missions, so many of these pilgrimages can risk becoming more spectacle than substance unless overseen with vigilance and accountability.

When President Tinubu left Abuja in June 2025 for Saint Lucia, followed by Brazil for the BRICS summit, I thought this is more than diplomatic courtesy. It’s about repositioning Nigeria in the Global South, reconnecting with Caribbean nations, and setting a tone for what Nigerian foreign policy could do. Such as deepen the ties beyond the usual, enrichable by culture, education, and trade.

But Brazil has been more than a stop on the map this year, it’s become a source of real, concrete deals. On June 24, 2025, Nigeria signed a US$1 billion agreement with Brazil to boost agriculture, food security, energy, and defence, including mechanised farming equipment, training, and service centres across Nigeria. That’s not just ambition, that’s investment that can reach farms, that can reach the people in rural communities.

Also in Brazil, during his recent state visit, President Tinubu secured agreements with Brazil’s state-run oil company Petrobras, which has signalled readiness to return to Nigeria. That means foreign energy capital, technology, operations that left years ago may now re-enter under reformed conditions. And there are deals also in aviation and infrastructure with company such as Embraer is planning to establish a service centre in Nigeria. From our end Air Peace is exploring direct flights between Lagos and São Paulo. All this points to the kind of connectivity and industrial boost we badly need.

Then came the trip to Japan for TICAD 9, another pilgrimage, but this time with Japanese firms, development partners, and financiers in view. President Tinubu set a bold target of over US$1 billion in trade and investment from TICAD 9, anchored in green innovation, youth opportunity, and industrial growth. He didn’t just attend, he made Nigeria visible, speaking directly to CEOs and stakeholders in Japan to position Nigeria not just as a destination for aid, but for business.

I agree with those who say these travels matter because in many cases, they deliver. But I also worry that our faith in “foreign investor pilgrimages” sometimes blinds us to a few harsh truths. First, agreements and memoranda are only useful when they become implemented projects. Too often, I see headline deals with promises but weak follow-through. Second, these trips are expensive affairs such as the costs of entourages, logistics, optics and so on. If what we get in return is only vague promises, then the cost is too high. Third, domestic governance must match external diplomacy sushi that deals won abroad must be backed by policy, regulatory clarity, infrastructure, and accountability at home. Without that, foreign investors who fly in with hope can fly out with disappointment.

Still, I can’t deny that under President Tinubu, some of this foreign connection has borne fruit. The Brazil deal for agriculture and security upgrades, the return potential of Petrobras, the push with Japanese investment and innovation and so on, these are not trivial. These are opportunities to move from subsistence agriculture to mechanised farming, from energy shortages to improved capacity, from isolation to global integration.

As someone who watches Nigeria’s potential and its challenges closely, I believe that these pilgrimages must be more than photo-ops. They must be part of a broader strategy, one where every MoU has a measurable outcome such as where citizens see jobs, roads, electricity, climate-resilient farming and where these investments are not just landed but nurtured. President Tinubu’s travels are historic in scope, but their real test will be in how much of their promise translates into daily life for Nigerians.

If we do this, if we demand follow-through, transparency, and coherence—these foreign pilgrimages could become the turning point in Nigeria’s modern economic story. But if we let them remain mostly for TV cameras and social media applause, then all their potential may slip away.

Tahir Ahmad is a corps member serving at PRNigeria Centre, Abuja. He can be reached via: [email protected].