LAGOS — President Bola Tinubu has touched down in Lagos to observe the Sallah break, arriving on the heels of a UK State Visit that secured a £746 million port deal but left his administration scrambling to contain a massive PR crisis.
The President, accompanied by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, was received at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila and a crowd of cheering supporters. However, the atmosphere back home remains charged following viral footage from Windsor Castle showing King Charles III physically assisting the President as they navigated a ceremonial walk.
The “supportive walk” has ignited a firestorm of speculation over the President’s physical fitness, with many Nigerians describing the optics of an aging British monarch—himself battling cancer—propping up the Nigerian leader as “deeply embarrassing.” Critics on social media have been relentless, with the hashtag #TheWindsorLean trending as many question whether the President is healthy enough to manage the nation’s deepening economic and security crises.
The Presidency has moved swiftly to dismiss the health rumours, labeling them “mischievous” and insisting the gesture was merely royal protocol and mutual respect between two leaders. They pointed to the signing of the £746 million (₦1.4 trillion) financing agreement for the Lagos and Tin Can Island Ports as proof that the President is fully engaged and delivering on his “Renewed Hope” agenda.
As the President settles into his Lagos residence for the holidays, the debate continues to rage between loyalists celebrating the “economic haul” from London and a skeptical public demanding more transparency regarding the Commander-in-Chief’s medical status.
