President Bola Tinubu is now expected to return to Nigeria on Tuesday, after his working vacation that took him to the United Kingdom and France almost a month ago.
Onanuga had, on the 21st of September, assured Nigerians that the President was billed to return home this weekend, ‘following the extension of his working vacation by a few days.’
But BusinessDay gathered from a highly reliable presidency source that the President will now return to Nigeria on Tuesday
The President had departed Nigeria on August 30 for London, on the first leg of his initial three-week working vacation.
After spending a week in London, he moved to Paris, France, to complete the vacation
But at the end of the vacation on the 21st of September, Onanuga revealed that the President was extending his vacation by ‘ a few days’, adding that he will now return this weekend, which ended on Sunday, 27th of September.
BusinessDay checks, however, show that there was no indication that the President will return as earlier planned
BusinessDay gathered that the President, who is expected to give his 1st October nationwide address as part of the event marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary, will return to Nigeria on Tuesday.
BusinessDay was informed that the President will now return on Tuesday, following a telephone chat with some of his aides
There was, however, no official explanation as to why the President decided to shift the date of his return
The President had, while in France, met with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bollore, whose media group includes Canal+, Multichoice, and Universal Music Group.
The President also witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ogun State government and DP World for the development of a $7b deep-sea port
The signing of Memoranda of Understanding between the Ogun State Government and DP World, one of the world’s leading ports and logistics operators, opens opportunity to develop the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone and the Gateway Deep Seaport, according to Presidential Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.
The project, with an initial investment of more than $7 billion in the Nigerian economy, is expected to create more than 50,000 direct jobs and many additional indirect opportunities, while generating substantial non-oil export earnings from Nigerians’ creativity and productivity across the value chain, when fully developed
The proposed port, which will be located at the Ogun Waterside, with a four-kilometre berth and an 18-metre draft, is conceived to help decongest the Lagos port corridor, ease pressure on the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, and reduce costs and delays for importers, exporters and consumers.
It will also accommodate the larger, deeper-draft vessels that support modern global commerce and provide a competitive trade and logistics gateway for the African Continental Free Trade Area, positioning Nigeria to serve a continental market of approximately 1.4 billion people.
Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone is proposed to be accommodated on 10,000 hectares
President Tinubu also continued to keep in touch with home, directing the affairs of the nation, like ordering an independent panel to investigate the death of 37 illegal miners in Minna, following their detention by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, among other things
The President also delegated Vice President Kashim Shettima to represent him at some official functions, including the 81st edition of the United Nations General Assembly
Though Shettima had left Abuja on September 20 for New York to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly, while the Vice President was away, George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, continued with the plans for Nigeria’s 66th anniversary
Onanuga said the President was also in control of his political campaign plans, working with Abubakar Yari, the Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), who has been leading notable party leaders in consultations with prominent traditional rulers in the country.
Presidency described the baseless insinuation by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and a United States-based lobbying firm headed by an ex-convict about President Tinubu’s non-attendance at UNGA as irresponsible.
Many had argued that the President should have written to the National Assembly to formally hand over powers to Vice President Shettima, in line with the provisions of Section 145 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution
According to the section, ‘ a president on vacation or away must send a written letter to the National Assembly to make the Vice President the acting president.
The section mandates that the ‘President must write to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives before leaving.
‘Once the letter arrives, the Vice President automatically acts as the President.
The section also placed a 21-day limit, after which the National Assembly can, through a simple majority, vote that powers be handed over to the Vice President.
‘If the President is away or unable to write for 21 days without handing over power, the National Assembly can vote by a simple majority to make the Vice President the Acting President’
But Bayo Onanuga insisted that the President was on ‘Working vacation’, adding that the President also maintained control of the activities of government.
‘He remains in daily contact with state officials, and is actively running the country from abroad’, he said