President Bola Tinubu has returned to Nigeria after spending four weeks abroad on what the Presidency described as a working vacation, arriving in Lagos on Tuesday evening.
The President’s aircraft landed at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, at about 6:22pm, where he was received by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, among other APC leaders.
The Presidency said Tinubu chose Lagos as his first destination to honour the memory of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, winner of the annulled June 1993 presidential election and a prominent figure in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle.
Tinubu dismisses health rumours
Speaking after his arrival, Tinubu said he enjoyed his time abroad and dismissed speculation about his health.
“There is nothing wrong. Well, rumours will always be emanating from politics. But the fact is that I am here: healthy, sound, ready to go.”
Channels Television reported that Tinubu said he was back “healthy, sound, and ready to go”.
The President left Abuja on August 30, initially spending about a week in London before proceeding to Paris, where he held several official and business engagements.
Abiola film premiere on Independence Day
Tinubu is expected to attend the premiere of MKO, a feature-length documentary on Abiola, at the Wole Soyinka National Theatre in Iganmu on October 1, Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day.
The film, directed by Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan, explores Abiola’s political legacy, the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election and the pro-democracy struggle that followed.
Political meetings ahead of 2027
According to the Presidency, Tinubu will also hold strategic meetings with political leaders and associates in Lagos over several days as preparations for the 2027 elections continue. He is expected to return to Abuja after completing the engagements.
Engagements in France
During his stay in Paris, Tinubu held a private dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron and met business leaders, including Vincent Bolloré of the Bolloré Group. The Presidency said discussions with Bolloré focused on expanded investment in Nigeria’s creative and digital economy.
He also met First HoldCo Chairman Femi Otedola. Otedola subsequently described Tinubu’s reforms as having put the Nigerian economy on a path of sustainable growth.
Tinubu also witnessed the signing of an MoU between the Ogun State Government and DP World for a Gateway Deep Seaport and Blue Marine Economic Zone in Ogun Waterside. The project is expected to attract $7 billion in investment.
