ABUJA, Nigeria – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has rescheduled his return to the country following an extended four-week European working vacation, with senior administrative sources confirming that the Commander-in-Chief will arrive in Lagos on Tuesday rather than over the weekend as previously indicated by the State House, presidential correspondents reported in Abuja on Sunday afternoon, September 27, 2026.
The adjustment to the presidential travel itinerary concludes a foreign working leave that commenced on August 30, 2026, when the President departed the Federal Capital Territory for London, United Kingdom, before traveling to Paris, France, for a series of high-level bilateral diplomatic and commercial investment engagements.
Okay News reports that on Monday, September 21, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced that President Tinubu had extended his working vacation by a few days to conclude pending private and official discussions, assuring the public that the Nigerian leader would touch down in the country over the weekend.
However, reliable Presidency officials disclosed on Sunday that travel logistics were adjusted to Tuesday, September 29, with the presidential aircraft scheduled to touch down at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State.
Following his arrival in Lagos, President Tinubu is expected to remain in the commercial capital to lead the commemoration of Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary on Thursday, October 1, marking the second consecutive year the President will mark the national holiday in Lagos after his 2025 official working visit.
During his stay in Paris, President Tinubu held strategic discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron on bilateral security cooperation and European Union trade partnerships, alongside a private engagement with French industrial magnate Vincent Bolloré, whose corporate portfolio encompasses multinational media and entertainment entities including Canal+, MultiChoice, and Universal Music Group.
The Nigerian leader also presided over the signing of landmark bilateral investment agreements in the French capital between the Ogun State Government, led by Governor Dapo Abiodun, and global port management operator DP World MEA FZE.
The multi-billion-dollar maritime transaction covers the financing, construction, and long-term operation of the proposed Gateway Deep Seaport and an adjoining 10,000-hectare Blue Marine Special Economic Zone, projected to attract over $7 billion in foreign capital and generate tens of thousands of skilled jobs upon completion.
The Presidency maintained that throughout his absence from the seat of power, the Commander-in-Chief has remained in continuous communication with federal cabinet ministers, heads of security agencies, and principal aides, actively directing administrative actions and policy interventions at home.
During the President’s travel, Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima led the Nigerian delegation to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, while other senior government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, represented the presidency at statutory state functions.
While formal statements confirming the exact landing protocols had not been gazetted by the State House as of Sunday afternoon, protocol officers and presidential advance security units have mobilized in Lagos ahead of Tuesday’s reception.
