Tinubu set to return Tuesday after extended European vacation

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria on Tuesday, September 29, after an extended working vacation in Europe, with Lagos set to become the centre of his first official engagements back in the country.

The revised itinerary, confirmed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, indicates that Tinubu will arrive in Lagos ahead of Nigeria’s 66th Independence anniversary on October 1 before returning to Abuja next weekend.

Onanuga said the President would attend the premiere of a documentary on the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola at the National Theatre, Lagos, on Independence Day.

“Yes, it’s true, he will return on Tuesday. It’s just a slight adjustment to his schedule,” Onanuga said, adding that Tinubu would observe the Independence Day ceremony in Lagos before travelling back to Abuja.

The President is expected to arrive through the presidential wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, where he is likely to be received by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other senior officials.

Four weeks abroad

Tinubu left Abuja on August 30 for London, where he began his annual vacation. The Presidency initially announced a three-week holiday but subsequently extended his stay by several days.

From London, the President travelled to Paris, where the vacation was combined with official engagements, including a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

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He also met Vincent Bolloré, chairman of the Bolloré Group, with discussions reportedly focusing on investment and the expansion of the conglomerate’s operations in Nigeria.

The State House said the company planned to deepen its Nigerian operations in areas including film, entertainment and fibre-optic infrastructure.

The engagements formed part of the Presidency’s explanation of the trip as a “working vacation”, with Tinubu reportedly continuing to receive briefings and issue directives from abroad.

One significant directive involved the establishment of an independent panel to investigate the reported deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.

Constitutional questions

However, the extended absence has also kept questions about presidential absence and Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution in the public conversation.

During Tinubu’s stay abroad, Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented him at several functions and travelled to New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

With Shettima abroad, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume also represented the President at some official engagements.

While Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu said there was no need for the National Assembly to reconvene over Tinubu’s absence, Senate President Godswill Akpabio similarly maintained that the President remained in charge and capable of directing government affairs while abroad.

Those positions, however, were questioned by some political actors who raised issues concerning the constitutional procedure governing presidential absence.

The Presidency has maintained that Tinubu remained fully engaged with government throughout the trip.

Lagos return

Tinubu’s return comes as the Federal Government prepares for Independence Day activities and a fresh phase of domestic engagements.

The President is expected to deliver his traditional Independence Day broadcast on October 1 and participate in anniversary activities in Lagos.

His stay in Lagos will also provide an opportunity for briefings on economic, security and governance developments before he returns to Abuja next weekend.

The timing of the return places the President back in Nigeria after nearly four weeks abroad, at a point when several domestic issues require attention from the Presidency.

Unless there is another adjustment to his itinerary, Tinubu’s Lagos arrival on September 29, followed by the Independence anniversary on October 1 and his subsequent return to Abuja, will mark the formal end of his European working vacation.