By Ali Elias
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has returned to Nigeria after ending his working vacation in Europe, arriving in Lagos from Paris, France, where he is scheduled to spend several days on political and Independence Day engagements.
The President departed Paris on Tuesday and was expected to arrive at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, later that evening, according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ended his working vacation and has already departed Paris, France, for the homeward journey to Nigeria,” Onanuga said in the statement.
As of Wednesday, September 30, President Tinubu is in Lagos, where he is expected to attend events marking Nigeria’s Independence Day and hold meetings with political leaders and associates.
According to the Presidency, Tinubu deliberately chose Lagos as his first destination after returning to Nigeria to honour the memory of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election and a prominent figure in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle.
The President is scheduled to attend the premiere of a movie celebrating Abiola at the Wole Soyinka National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, on Thursday, October 1.
Onanuga said the President would also use his stay in Lagos to engage political leaders and associates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“While in Lagos, President Tinubu will also hold strategic meetings with political leaders and associates over several days in preparation for the 2027 elections,” he said.
Tinubu departed Abuja on August 30 for the working vacation. He spent one week in London before proceeding to Paris, where he combined his private stay with meetings involving political and business figures.
In Paris, the President attended a private dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron and held discussions with business leaders, including Vincent Bolloré of the Bolloré Group, whose interests include media and digital businesses.
He also met the Chairman of First HoldCo, Femi Otedola, on Monday.
Earlier in his European engagements, Tinubu witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ogun State Government and DP World for the development of a Gateway Deep Sea Port in Ogun Waterside and a Blue Marine Economic Zone.
The Presidency said DP World plans to invest $7 billion in the proposed seaport and economic zone.
The Ogun project is part of the administration’s efforts to attract private-sector investment into major infrastructure and expand Nigeria’s maritime and logistics capacity.
Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja after completing his political engagements in Lagos.
Onanuga said the President’s Lagos programme would precede his return to the nation’s capital.