The Presidency has dismissed concerns over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s prolonged absence from Abuja, saying the President is hale and hearty and has continued to discharge his official responsibilities while on a working vacation abroad.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu’s physical absence from the Federal Capital Territory should not be interpreted as inactivity, noting that advances in technology enable leaders to conduct official business from anywhere in the world.
Onanuga said the President had remained engaged in key national and international matters during his vacation, including meetings with investors in France that, according to him, helped advance major economic initiatives.
He specifically linked Tinubu’s recent engagements to the facilitation of a proposed $7 billion deep-sea port project at Ogun Waterside, an Ogun State Government initiative expected to strengthen trade, investment and economic activity.
“President Tinubu is hale and hearty. He has been on a working vacation, which he is perfectly entitled to,” Onanuga said.
He added: “In this digital age, he does not need to be physically present in Abuja to do the work for which he was elected in 2023.”
The presidential spokesman also defended Tinubu’s decision to delegate Nigeria’s representation at the United Nations General Assembly to Vice President Kashim Shettima.
According to Onanuga, Shettima is capable of representing the country at the global gathering, describing him as an “able and dependable Vice President.”
He also argued that Nigeria was not the only country whose president was absent from the UNGA, citing South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as other leaders who did not attend the gathering.
Onanuga said Ramaphosa’s absence from public engagements did not trigger a similar controversy in South Africa, while Egypt also accepted Sisi’s absence without the level of public criticism witnessed in Nigeria.
“The Nigerian President announced he was taking his annual vacation and delegated attendance to his able and dependable Vice President,” he said.
The Presidency’s defence followed questions from some political figures, including former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate Peter Obi, over Tinubu’s whereabouts and his failure to attend the UNGA personally.
The administration maintained that the concerns were misplaced, insisting that the President had remained active and committed to his responsibilities despite working outside Nigeria.
Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria this week ahead of activities marking the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
He is also expected to attend the Lagos premiere of a movie celebrating the life and legacy of late democracy icon, Chief MKO Abiola.
The Presidency said the President’s return would provide an opportunity to honour Abiola, whose struggle for democracy remains a significant chapter in Nigeria’s political history.
