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Paris, France — September 13, 2026

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Paris, France, marking his first public appearance since departing Nigeria for a three-week leave in Europe.

Footage released by the President’s official videographer, Sunday Moses, shows Tinubu disembarking from his aircraft, exchanging handshakes with a waiting party — including Nigeria’s Ambassador to France, Ayodele Oke — before proceeding to a waiting vehicle.

Tinubu departed Abuja on August 30, 2026, for the vacation, with London announced by the Presidency as his first stop before travelling on to Paris. The trip was disclosed in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, who said the leave would also involve some working engagements. The Presidency has said Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria at the end of the three-week break to resume official duties and join preparations for the January 2027 general election.

Paris has been among Tinubu’s most frequently visited foreign destinations since he took office in May 2023: this marks at least his 14th visit to the French capital, where he has now spent more than 50 days combined on official, working, and private trips. A broader tally by The Punch found Tinubu has spent more than 270 days outside Nigeria on 51 foreign trips to at least 30 countries since assuming the presidency.

Political reaction

The vacation has drawn criticism from opposition figures over its timing. Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress’s 2027 presidential candidate, argued that Tinubu should be focused on domestic challenges rather than travelling abroad, pointing to ongoing insecurity, rising food and transportation costs, unemployment, and limited access to essential services as issues he said deserved the President’s attention while he was away.

The Presidency has not issued a detailed public itinerary for the remainder of the trip. Tinubu is due back in Nigeria in the coming days as his three-week leave concludes.