Tinubu Doesn’t Need To Be In Abuja To Do His Job – Presidency

The Presidency has reacted to the controversy generated by the continued absence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the President is hale and hearty.

There have been concern over the absence of the President who travelled for a three-week vacation but did not return when he ought to last Monday.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, had said the president extended the vacation by “a few days”.

Many Nigerians, especially opposition figures, have demanded information on the whereabouts of Tinubu.

In a statement on Sunday, Onanuga said Tinubu did not need to be in Abuja physically to perform his duties.

“Nigeria’s President is hale and hearty. He has been on a working vacation, which he is perfectly entitled to. In this digital age, he does not need to be physically present in Abuja to do the work for which he was elected in 2023.”

“And we have seen that he has indeed been working, meeting investors in France, most recently facilitating a $7 billion deep-sea port in Ogun Waterside, an initiative of the Ogun State Government.”

On the absence of Tinubu from the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Onanuga said, “Two other important African leaders were not in New York for the UNGA: South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

“Ramaphosa booked himself off public engagements. Johannesburg and Pretoria made no uproar over Ramaphosa’s absence at UNGA. And Egypt did not erupt that Sisi did not go to New York.

“The Nigerian President announced he was taking his annual vacation and delegated attendance to his able and dependable Vice President. Yet Peter Obi pretends to be unaware of President Tinubu’s whereabouts and asks the puerile question his followers are asking on X.”

The Presidential spokesman concluded by saying Tinubu would return home this week to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary and honour MKO Abiola by attending the premiere of a movie in MKO’s memory in Lagos.