Samuel Omang
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday commenced a 10-day vacation as part of his 2025 annual leave, the Presidency announced.
According to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President will spend the vacation between France and the United Kingdom, after which he will return to Nigeria.
Onanuga said:
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja today, September 4, to commence a working vacation in Europe, as part of his 2025 annual leave. The vacation will last 10 working days. President Tinubu will spend the period between France and the UK and then return to the country.”
However, the statement made no mention of Tinubu transmitting a formal letter to the National Assembly, as required under Section 145(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), to enable Vice President Kashim Shettima to act in his absence. Both chambers of the Assembly are currently on recess.
In October 2024, Tinubu spent over two weeks in the UK and France on a similar “working vacation” without a formal handover.
Since assuming office in May 2023, Tinubu has become one of Nigeria’s most travelled leaders. In his first 17 months, he and Vice President Shettima undertook 41 trips across 26 countries, collectively spending 180 days abroad. Tinubu alone logged 124 days abroad, visiting 16 countries on 29 trips.
His most recent foreign engagement was in Brazil in August 2025, where he met President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Both countries signed agreements on trade, aviation, energy, and security cooperation, including talks to restore Petrobras’ operations in Nigeria and establish a Lagos–São Paulo direct air link.
Earlier travels have also taken him to the United States, France, the United Kingdom, China, South Africa, Germany, Tanzania, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Saint Lucia, Ghana, and Japan, where he sought investment and diplomatic support.
Critics argue that while the trips project Nigeria’s presence on the global stage, they have yet to yield tangible economic relief for citizens battling high inflation, insecurity, and declining living standards.