President Bola Tinubu Extends Stay In Europe

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has extended his stay in Europe, Daily Trust reports.

The development came amidst criticisms by the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and other opposition leaders, who have questioned his absence from the country at a time when it is witnessing   crises in different parts.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar demanded the return of the president and criticised his continued stay outside the country, saying the situation in Plateau, Benue and other parts of Nigeria, demands his attention.

Also the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, lamented that since the president’s departure, many Nigerians have been killed, a development that should warrant his immediate return.

The president’s trip

On April 2nd, President Tinubu departed Abuja for Paris, France, on a working visit, as stated by the Presidency.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, had said during the visit, the president would appraise his administration’s midterm performance and assess key milestones.

“He will also use the retreat to review the progress of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning ahead of his administration’s second anniversary.

“This period of reflection will inform plans to deepen ongoing reforms and accelerate national development priorities in the coming year”, he had said.

He went further to explain that, “Recent economic strides reinforce the president’s commitment to these efforts, as evidenced by the Central Bank of Nigeria reporting a significant increase in net foreign exchange reserves to $23.11 billion—a testament to the administration’s fiscal reforms since 2023 when net reserves were $3.99 billion.

“While away, President Tinubu will remain fully engaged with his team and continue to oversee governance activities, adding that the president “will return to Nigeria in about a fortnight.”

But yesterday, April 17, following criticism over the president’s absence, the Presidency, issued another statement, saying the President would return to the country to resume his official duties after the Easter holidays.

Bayo Onanuga further explained that while outside the country, President Tinubu is closely monitoring developments in the country.

“The president left Paris for London at the weekend and has maintained constant communication with key government officials, overseeing critical national matters, including directives to security chiefs to address emerging threats in some parts of the country,” he said.

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Tinubu’s activity in Paris

Though the Presidency had said President Tinubu was on a working visit, officially, he was only reported to have met with Trump’s Advisor over partnership on economic and security issues.

President Tinubu received the State Department representative from President Donald Trump’s administration, Mr. Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor for Africa, on Thursday last week in Paris.

The meeting, it was gathered, focused on developing a strategic economic and security partnership between Nigeria, Africa, and the United States, anchored on mutual respect, prosperity, and regional stability.

Onanuga, in a statement after the meeting said the US State Department’s representative conveyed President Trump’s interest in deepening direct engagement with Nigeria as a cornerstone of US relations with Africa.

He said, “The US wanted to work closely with President Tinubu to expand America’s investment in Nigeria and Africa, support energy and infrastructure development, and align trade and job creation efforts.

“Both sides discussed actionable support and shared their perspectives on regional peace, particularly in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and across the Sahel.”

Absence amounts to negligence, dereliction of duty – PDP

Speaking on the foreign trip, the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) through its

Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Abdullahi Ibrahim, described the president’s trip as a “clear indication of negligence and dereliction of duty. Of course, some of us are not astonished. We had always known that it’s going to be like that”.

He told Daily Trust that the president “was not concerned about the welfare of the people”.

“It’s just unfortunate we have a short-changed nation where those who are in control of the levers of power are far from the concerns of the people. Their objectives are different.

“You can see now it’s the Chief of Staff that is pretending to be providing leadership in the country. Someone, who is not elected by the people, by Nigerians,” he said.

Plateau, Benue killings: Atiku asks Tinubu to return home

Also speaking on the development, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar asked President Tinubu to return from his overseas trip and tackle the challenges at home, saying that Nigeria is in full blown state of emergency.

Atiku, in a statement by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, said, “Plateau has turned into a killing field — over 100 lives lost in relentless attacks. Benue is bleeding. Boko Haram is seizing territories. And every single day, Nigerians sink deeper into poverty, insecurity, and despair.”

The presidential candidate of the PDP in the last election added, “there is absolutely nothing President Tinubu is doing in France that he cannot do in Lagos, or even in Iragbiji,” saying the “so-called working visit is nothing more than a vacation cloaked in official jargon”.

“Nigeria is in a full-blown state of emergency. Not a contrived political emergency like what Tinubu declared in Rivers for partisan gain — this is a national collapse. So when, exactly, will Tinubu declare a state of emergency on his own disastrous presidency.

“The official excuse; a so-called working visit. But Nigerians aren’t buying the spin. The presidency scrambled to clarify that it wasn’t a medical trip — how noble. But even if it’s not medical tourism, what justification is there for gallivanting across Europe while Nigeria bleeds?

“What kind of leader borrows billions only to blow scarce funds on vanity trips abroad? While Tinubu dines under chandeliers in the land of good governance, the country he governs is spiraling into chaos. Plateau has turned into a killing field — over 100 lives lost in relentless attacks. Benue is bleeding”, he added.

Obi speaks too

Peter Obi also asked President Tinubu to immediately return home to confront rising insecurity.

In a post on his X handle on Wednesday, Obi said he was compelled to call “our retreating president’s attention to the security challenges at home, which entail that he immediately suspend his ongoing retreat in a foreign land and come home to address the overwhelming security situation across the country.”

According to him, the call became necessary following the rising incidents of crimes and criminalities across Nigeria.

“In the two weeks you have been away, over 150 Nigerians have lost their lives to insecurity across Nigeria, especially in Plateau and Zamfara states. The repeated pipeline explosions in the Niger Delta further reflect a nation in distress.

“In the North-east, Borno State leaders are bemoaning the return of insurgency with troops and civilians being killed randomly. In the South-east, the story is the same: killings and abduction.

“Amid all these, the CEO of the troubled company called Nigeria is retreating far away in France from the company’s headquarters,” Obi said.

He noted that the primary duty of any government is securing the lives and property of its citizens and “one wonders the type of retreat going on in another country where peace has been secured by their leaders while blood continues to flow in our country.”

Analyst flays development

In his submission, a development consultant and political analyst, Dr, Jide Ojo, stated that if there are burning issues of national concern, “should our president be seen abroad? For instance, there is a high level of insecurity in this country. Before the president traveled, the attack on the plateau happened.”

He said, “Some world leaders, will even because of that, return to their country to empathise and sympathise with the victims. There are leaders that even if one person is killed in their country when they are attending international meetings and conferences, will return home because of that disaster.

“And that is to show empathy with the people; that I am with you.

“But we have not seen that kind of thing happen with our president. A hundred people may be killed, yet he will send an emissary to go and condole with the people. I think that is not good enough, even though the constitution does not compel him to go to places to mourn with the people. But under his government, you are not talking of one or two souls. You are talking of dozens of people who are mauled, cold-blooded.

“It is not out of place if the president cuts short his visit and goes to Plateau and sympathises with the people and deploys the needed resources to curtail future occurrence. That is how you know leaders who show concern.”

He added that, “if the president is not using these two weeks visit to attend to his health, why can’t he reflect in Nigeria? They say he wants to do appraisal of his administration. Does he have to go to France to do that kind of appraisal?

“Even in his Lagos home, he can be there and say, I don’t want to see anybody. Even in his Abuja office, he can shut out every visitor and attend to issues of national importance.

“In fact, I have been to Obudu Cattle Ranch, where you have a presidential suite, a presidential lodge, which is quite separate from the other chalets. If that place has not been allowed to go to ruins; that is the place that the president could have gone for this kind of reflection. And adequate security will be provided for him there”.

Tinubu will return after Easter holidays– Presidency

The Presidency, yesterday reacted to criticism, saying even though outside the shores of the country, he (Tinubu) is closely monitoring developments in Nigeria.

Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, said the president “remains fully engaged in Nigeria’s governance even though he is away in Europe.”

He added that the president will return to Abuja and resume his official duties at Aso Villa at the conclusion of the Easter holidays.

Onanuga said, “his absence remains temporary and in line with the communicated timeframe of approximately two weeks.

“The president left Paris for London at the weekend and has maintained constant communication with key government officials, overseeing critical national matters, including directives to security chiefs to address emerging threats in some parts of the country.

“His return to Abuja and the resumption of duties at Aso Villa will follow the conclusion of the Easter holiday.”

The presidential spokesman noted that, “the president’s commitment to his duties remains unwavering and his administration continues to function effectively under his leadership.

“We appreciate the public’s concern and assure all Nigerians that governance proceeds without interruption.”

CNG urges Tinubu’s return too

Also speaking on the situation in the country, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) condemned the recent wave of killings in Plateau State, describing them as “relentless” and “senseless,” and calling for urgent, result-driven action from the federal government to halt the bloodshed.

In a statement on Thursday by its national coordinator, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, the group demanded the immediate protection of vulnerable communities and the prosecution of those behind the violence.

The group further urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately cut short his foreign trip and return to address the problem.

The group called for reinforced security deployments in vulnerable communities and a more aggressive, intelligence-led approach to dismantling terror networks across the country.

“We demand that reinforced security forces be deployed at all flashpoints in Plateau to protect civilians. The government must adopt brutal efficiency in dismantling terror networks.

“We demand that all perpetrators be arrested and prosecuted, including sponsors of these attacks. The era of impunity must end immediately and permanently. Nigeria’s security framework must be overhauled to prioritise intelligence-driven operations, community engagement, and collaboration with locals.”

DAILY TRUST