FCT, Abuja – President Bola Tinubu has this Tuesday morning, June 18, departed Lagos for Pretoria, South Africa, to attend the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
TimesNow.com.ng reports that the inauguration of Ramaphosa follows his re-election as President for a second term.
A statement by Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesperson, indicates that Tinubu will return to Nigeria after the ceremony.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and other dignitaries saw Tinubu off at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.
Tinubu was transported in a Dassault Falcon 8X aircraft with registration number 9H-GRC at about 11:06 am.
The Nigerian leader has been in Lagos since Friday, June 14, for the Eid-el Kabir festivities.
Tinubu will return to Abuja, Nigeria, after the South African inauguration ceremony on Wednesday, 19 June.
According to a report in May by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), President Tinubu has made at least 17 trips out of the country for official and unofficial purposes since he was sworn in as president.
In June 2024, The Punch reported that President Tinubu, vice president Kashim Shettima, and first lady Remi Tinubu, spent not less than N5.24 billion on local and foreign travel between January and March 2024.
Although the presidency often maintains that Tinubu travels for the sake of Nigeria: to foster economic growth, and address some of the countryâs other challenges, some stakeholders have urged the president to reduce his foreign trips.
Earlier, TimesNow.com.ng reported that Primate Elijah Ayodele, the founder of the Inri church worldwide, asked President Tinubu and other African presidents to “go on their kneels to avert any impending danger”.
Ayodele stated this in a 24-second clip shared recently on his known X handle.
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
