Presidency Speaks On Tinubu’s Health, Foreign Trip
The Presidency has dismissed concerns over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s health, saying the President is hale and hearty and remains engaged with official duties while abroad.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, gave the clarification in a post on X on Sunday, explaining that Tinubu is currently on his annual working vacation.
Onanuga said the President was entitled to take his vacation and did not need to remain physically in Abuja to carry out his responsibilities, given the ease of communication in the digital age.
He pointed to Tinubu’s recent engagements in France, including meetings with investors and efforts that he said contributed to the proposed $7 billion deep-sea port project at Ogun Waterside.
The Presidency also defended Tinubu’s absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, noting that the presidents of South Africa and Egypt, Cyril Ramaphosa and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, were also not present.
Vice President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the UN General Assembly after Tinubu delegated the responsibility to him.
The clarification came after Peter Obi questioned Tinubu’s absence from the UN gathering and asked about the whereabouts of the Nigerian President.
Obi, in a Facebook post, raised concerns about Tinubu’s absence from the global event for the third consecutive year while commenting on Ghanaian President John Mahama’s address to the General Assembly.
Onanuga described Obi’s question as unnecessary, insisting that Tinubu’s absence from New York was a deliberate decision rather than an indication that he was unavailable to perform his duties.
The Presidency said Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria this week ahead of the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
Onanuga added that the President would attend the Lagos premiere of a movie commemorating the life and legacy of the late MKO Abiola, whom he described as a martyr of Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
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