Tinubu changes return plan again, to arrive Lagos Tuesday
President Bola Tinubu has again changed his plan to return to Nigeria after his aides initially said he would be back in Abuja during the weekend.
Sources in the Presidency quoted by Vanguard on Sunday said the president will arrive in Lagos on Tuesday, September 29 following a four-week “working vacation” in Europe.
The president, the report said, will deliver a nationwide broadcast in Lagos to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary on October 1 before returning to Abuja next weekend.
This will be the second consecutive year that President Tinubu would be observing Nigeria’s Independence Day in Lagos after doing so last year amid security concerns over a coup plot.
Military officers and civilian collaborators linked to the alleged plot to overthrow the government have been detained and are facing trial.
Tinubu’s return would mark the end of an extended working vacation that began on August 30, when he departed Abuja for London.
The Presidency had initially announced a three-week annual leave, with London designated as his first stop.
After spending about a week in London, the President travelled to Paris, France, where he held meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré, whose business interests include Canal+, MultiChoice and Universal Music Group.
On September 21, the Presidency announced that Tinubu would extend his stay by a few days, saying he would return to Nigeria at the weekend. The latest itinerary, however, puts his return on Tuesday, September 29.
During the President’s absence, Vice President Kashim Shettima represented him at several official engagements, including Nigeria’s participation in the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Shettima departed Abuja on September 20 to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the UNGA, where he delivered Nigeria’s national statement on behalf of the president.
