Tinubu embarks on fifth trip to France as president

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On Wednesday, President Tinubu embarked on his fifth trip to France since taking office.

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The Presidency described the trip as a working visit and is expected to last for two weeks.

Since his inauguration, the president has undertaken at least 25 international trips, often labelled as official or private, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s bilateral relations with other countries.

However, there have been reports indicating that some of the trips were undertaken for medical reasons.

He has been reported to take undisclosed health trips to Western countries, including France. These reports often trigger public reaction, with citizens criticising the government for failing to develop the country’s health system, while its officials embark on international trips for medical care.

The trips are viewed as a continuation of the medical visits he undertook before assuming office. An Africa Report’s news publication previously indicated that, shortly before his inauguration, the 73-year-old travelled to the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine for a medical checkup.

However, the Presidency has yet to respond to any of Mr Tinubu’s acclaimed medical trips.

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Reason for new France trip

Meanwhile, in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, on Wednesday, the president’s latest trip is a working trip for him to review the administration’s mid-term performance.

The statement said the trip was a time for the president to reflect on ongoing reforms and key national development priorities for the year ahead.

“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,” the statement read in part.

President Tinubu will also be meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron during this trip.

Both parties had earlier met in February during President Tinubu’s previous visit to the country. The trip was taken ahead of the African Union Summit and was tagged a “private visit.”

A few months earlier, Mr Tinubu flew to France for a three-day state visit, which, according to the Presidency, was aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s relations with the country.

The president paid other private visits to the country earlier in August and January 2024.

Also in 2023, a few weeks after his assumption of office, President Tinubu embarked on his first international trip to France for the New Global Financial Pact Summit.

So far, President Tinubu has embarked on five publicly declared trips to the country: four private visits and one state visit.

Previous trips to other countries

Aside from France, he has also embarked on several other foreign trips. Some of them have been for official engagements such as international summits, high-level diplomatic meetings, and multilateral conferences.

For instance, he travelled to Guinea-Bissau in July 2023 for the 63rd Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

At the summit, he was elected as the new Chairman of ECOWAS, succeeding President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau.

He also took a trip to India to attend the G-20 Leaders’ Summit in September 2023.

Shortly after, he travelled to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he met with the President, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to resolve the visa ban on Nigeria and discuss other bilateral relations.

In April 2024, President Tinubu embarked on an official visit to the Netherlands to strengthen bilateral relationships and explore potential avenues for collaboration.

After his time in the Netherlands, he traveled to Saudi Arabia to participate in the 2024 Special World Economic Forum (WEF), which focused on global cooperation, growth, and energy-driven development.

Sunday Dare, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Public Communication and Orientation, previously told PREMIUM TIMES that some of the president’s trips were international engagements already scheduled on the global calendar.

He also noted that some of the trips aimed to ensure that the president interacted and built relationships with other leaders.