Tinubu in Good Health, Back this Week ― Spokesman as Shettima Returns from UNGA81

September 28, () – The Presidency says President Bola Tinubu is hale and hearty and will return to Nigeria this week after his working vacation.

Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement posted on his official X handle on Sunday.

Onanuga said Tinubu would return to Lagos to participate in activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.

He said the President undertook official engagements during his vacation, including meetings with investors in France.

According to him, the signing of agreements for a proposed $7 billion deep-sea port in Ogun Waterside was among the activities.

“Nigeria’s President is hale and hearty. He has been on a working vacation, which he is perfectly entitled to.

“In this digital age, he does not need to be physically present in Abuja to do the work for which he was elected in 2023,” Onanuga said.

The presidential spokesperson said Tinubu had delegated Nigeria’s representation at the United Nations General Assembly to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

He also cited the absence of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi from the UNGA. Onanuga said the absence of the two leaders had not generated similar public debate. He criticised the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, for questioning Tinubu’s whereabouts. He argued that the President’s vacation and official engagements had been publicly communicated by the Presidency.

Onanuga reiterated that Tinubu was expected to return this week and participate in activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.

The President is also expected to attend the Lagos premiere of a film commemorating late democracy activist, Chief MKO Abiola. Tinubu departed Nigeria on Aug. 30 for London, where the Presidency said he began a three-week working vacation. After spending about a week in the United Kingdom, he travelled to Paris for official engagements.

On Sept. 21, the Presidency announced that Tinubu had extended his stay abroad by a few days.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Nigeria after leading the country’s delegation to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States.

According to his aide, Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice-President, who travelled to New York on September 20 after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assigned him to represent Nigeria at the annual gathering of world leaders, arrived in the country on Sunday.