Nigeria: Tinubu Fails to Return Home, 'Hale and Hearty', Says Presidency

What the report says

Nigeria’s presidency has moved to calm public concern over President Bola Tinubu’s extended stay abroad, saying he is “hale and hearty” and expected back in the country this week. The account, reported by Premium Times and carried by AllAfrica, says presidential aide Bayo Onanuga described the trip as a working vacation and said Tinubu remained active in official duties while outside Nigeria.

The report follows criticism over Tinubu’s absence from Nigeria and his decision not to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to the article, Tinubu left Nigeria on 30 August for London for what was initially described as a three-week annual leave, later extended by a few days. He also spent time in France, where the presidency said he met French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré.

The presidency said Tinubu would return in time for events tied to Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary and a film premiere about the late MKO Abiola, the democracy campaigner who died in detention after the 1993 election annulment. Opposition figures, including Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, questioned the president’s whereabouts and argued that Nigeria needed more direct representation at the UNGA. Some other political voices also raised questions about the length of the trip and whether constitutional procedures for presidential absence were being followed.

The episode underscores continuing political sensitivity around presidential visibility, travel and delegation of authority, even as the government insists digital communication allows the president to govern remotely.