Tinubu Departs Paris After Month-Long European Vacation

• President Tinubu left Paris on September 29, 2026, bound for Lagos after a working vacation that included stops in London and France
• Tinubu is set to attend the premiere of a film honouring MKO Abiola at the Wole Soyinka National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos
• The president also plans to hold strategic meetings with political leaders in Lagos ahead of the 2027 general elections

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues

FCT, Abuja - President Bola Ahmed Tinubu departed Paris, France, on September 29, 2026, heading back to Nigeria after concluding a working vacation that took him across Europe over the past month.

His aircraft was expected to land at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, later in the evening.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made this known in a statement issued via his X handle @aonanuga1956.

Tinubu's first stop is Lagos, where he will attend the premiere of a film dedicated to the memory of Chief MKO Abiola, who won the June 1993 presidential election before it was annulled.

The premiere is scheduled for Independence Day and will take place at the Wole Soyinka National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos.

Beyond the commemorative event, the president plans to spend several days in Lagos holding meetings with political associates and party leaders as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections, before returning to Abuja.

Tinubu's month-long European tour

The president left Abuja on August 30 for what was described as a working vacation. He spent one week in London before travelling on to Paris, where he held a series of high-level engagements.

In France, Tinubu attended a private dinner with President Emmanuel Macron and met with several business leaders.

Among them was Vincent Bolloré of the Bolloré Group, a conglomerate whose media and digital portfolio includes Canal+, MultiChoice, and Universal Music Group. On Monday, he also held talks with Femi Otedola, Chairman of First Holdings.

One of the major deals concluded during the Paris leg of the trip involved Ogun State. Tinubu witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ogun State Government and DP World, one of the world's leading port and logistics operators, to develop a Gateway deep seaport in Ogun Waterside and establish a Blue Marine Economic Zone in the surrounding area. DP World has committed $7 billion to the project.

Akpabio defends Tinubu's extended vacation

Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that Senate President Godswill Akpabio dismissed calls for Tinubu to hand over power to Vice President Kashim Shettima during his working vacation abroad.

Akpabio spoke on Tuesday, September 22, in Akwa Ibom state while commissioning road projects and addressed concerns over the President's three-week holiday, recently extended by one week.

The Presidency had not provided a formal return date for President Tinubu as at the time Akpabio made his remarks.