President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will return to Nigeria this week to participate in activities marking the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this on Sunday in a post on his official X handle, @aonanuga1956, adding that the President will also attend the premiere of a documentary in Lagos honouring the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, MKO.
The documentary, titled MKO, chronicles the June 12, 1993 presidential election, its annulment and the pro-democracy struggle that followed. It is scheduled to premiere at the National Theatre in Lagos on October 1, with President Tinubu as chief host.
Mr Onanuga, who was responding to questions and criticisms over the President’s extended stay abroad, said President Tinubu was “hale and hearty” and had remained actively engaged in the affairs of the country throughout his working vacation.
“President Tinubu is hale and hearty.
“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.
He maintained that advances in digital communication allowed the President to continue carrying out official responsibilities without being physically present in Abuja.
The Special Adviser to the President added that the Nigerian Leader had continued to receive briefings, issue directives and undertake engagements while abroad.
Mr Onanuga further cited President Tinubu’s meetings with investors in France, including his presence at the signing of Memoranda of Understanding between the Ogun State Government and global ports and logistics operator DP World for the development of the Gateway Deep Seaport and the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone.
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The agreements, signed in Paris, are expected to attract more than $7 billion in initial investment.
The Presidential Adviser also noted that Vice President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“Two other important African leaders were not in New York for the UNGA: South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Ramaphosa booked himself off public engagements. Johannesburg and Pretoria made no uproar over Ramaphosa’s absence at UNGA. And Egypt did not erupt that Sisi did not go to New York. The Nigerian President announced he was taking his annual vacation and delegated attendance to his able and dependable Vice President.
“Yet Peter Obi pretends to be unaware of President Tinubu’s whereabouts and asks the puerile question his followers are asking on X.
“President Tinubu will return home this week to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary and honour MKO Abiola, the martyr of the democracy we enjoy today, by attending the premiere of a movie in MKO’s memory in Lagos,” he added.
He further pointed to the absence of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi from the UN General Assembly, stating that their non-attendance did not generate similar controversy in their respective countries.
Onanuga also criticised former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi for questioning President Tinubu’s whereabouts, describing the question as “puerile” and insisting that the President’s location and working vacation had been publicly communicated.
President Tinubu departed Nigeria on August 30 for London to begin his annual working vacation before proceeding to Paris, France, where he undertook a number of official and investment-related engagements.
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