Nigeria: How Tinubu Ran Nigeria During Four-Week Trip Abroad - Shettima

What the report says

Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima said President Bola Tinubu stayed in close touch with his administration throughout a four-week trip abroad, receiving frequent briefings on developments at home. Speaking after meeting Tinubu in Lagos on Saturday, four days after the president’s return, Shettima said the two spoke almost every other day while Tinubu was away.

The comments were made amid public debate over how the government functioned during the president’s absence, especially because he did not formally hand over duties to the vice-president. According to the article, the presidency had already said Tinubu continued to direct government affairs from abroad, including ordering an investigation into the deaths of 37 illegal miners in Minna.

Shettima also used the occasion to defend the administration’s economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and exchange-rate unification. He argued that the measures were taken when the economy was under severe strain, while acknowledging that many Nigerians are still facing hardship. He said the government is working on relief measures and pointed to planned transport and logistics projects in the North-east, along with the student loan scheme known as NELFUND, as examples of efforts to ease pressure on households and expand access to education.

Tinubu left Nigeria on 30 August for a working vacation in London and later travelled to Paris, before returning to Lagos on 29 September. He has also dismissed speculation about his health, saying he is ready to resume duties.