President Bola Tinubu has arrived in France to continue his three-week annual leave after spending the first part of his vacation in London.

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in France to continue his three-week annual leave, after spending the first part of his vacation in London, United Kingdom.

Tinubu was received in France by Emmanuel Ayodele Oke, Nigeria’s ambassador to the country. The president commenced his leave on Sunday, August 30, and is expected to return to Nigeria after the vacation.

A “Working Vacation” Across Europe

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, had said Tinubu’s leave would be a “working vacation” during which he would spend time in Europe, in a statement titled “President Tinubu Begins Three-Week Leave.”

“His first stop will be London, United Kingdom,” Onanuga said when announcing the president’s departure from Abuja, adding that Tinubu would subsequently proceed to other parts of Europe.

Onanuga also said Tinubu was expected to return home after the vacation to join preparations for the January 2027 election. His departure came a week after the All Progressives Congress (APC) released its Presidential Campaign Council list, naming Tinubu as chairman and Vice-President Kashim Shettima as vice-chairman.

Paris remains one of Tinubu’s most frequent foreign destinations. Since taking office in May 2023, he has visited the French capital at least 13 times, spending more than 50 days there across official, working and private trips.

Preceded by Shettima’s Own Leave

The president’s 2026 leave follows the conclusion of Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s two-week vacation. Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant on media and communications to the vice-president, had described Shettima’s vacation as his first since assuming office. Shettima returned to Nigeria on August 18, two days ahead of schedule.

Tinubu also took a 10-day annual leave in September 2025, during which he visited the United Kingdom and France.