President Bola Ahmed Tinubu departed the nation’s capital on Thursday morning to embark on a 10-day working vacation in Europe, marking the start of his 2025 annual leave.
The trip, announced by the presidency, will see the Nigerian leader splitting his time between France and the United Kingdom before returning home.
In a statement released early Thursday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that the vacation is part of Tinubu’s routine annual leave and will span 10 working days.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja today, September 4, to commence a working vacation in Europe, as part of his 2025 annual leave,” Onanuga stated. “
President Tinubu will spend the period between France and the UK and then return to the country.”
The departure comes just weeks after Tinubu’s return from a high-profile international engagement.
Last week, the president concluded a two-week official trip to Japan and Brazil, where he attended the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama and held bilateral meetings in Brasilia with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. During those visits, Tinubu focused on fostering economic ties, private investments, and sustainable development initiatives for Africa.
This working vacation aligns with Tinubu’s pattern of combining rest with reflection on national priorities.
Similar to his previous leaves, such as the two-week UK retreat in October 2024 where he reviewed economic reforms, the current trip is expected to allow the president to contemplate ongoing policies amid Nigeria’s challenging economic landscape, including inflation control and infrastructure development.
Government sources indicate that Vice President Kashim Shettima will oversee day-to-day affairs in Tinubu’s absence, ensuring continuity in governance.
The presidency emphasized that the trip is brief and routine, with no major disruptions anticipated to state functions.
