President Bola Tinubu will return to Nigeria on Tuesday, September 29, ending a four-week working vacation in Europe.
On his return, the president is set to commemorate Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary in Lagos before heading back to Abuja next weekend.
He had initially been expected to return to Abuja over the weekend, before the schedule was changed.
Presidency sources disclosed on Sunday that Tinubu would arrive via Lagos, where Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is expected to receive him at the presidential wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
The president is expected to stay in Lagos until Thursday, October 1, when he will commemorate the Independence anniversary and give a national broadcast.
The Federal Government has already stated that the President’s Independence Day broadcast will be part of the activities marking the 66th anniversary, alongside other events such as a public lecture set for September 30.
By choosing to spend the anniversary period in Lagos, Tinubu would be marking Nigeria’s Independence Day in the commercial capital for the second year running.
Last year, the president also commemorated the anniversary in Lagos amid heightened security concerns after allegations surfaced of an alleged planned military coup.
The federal government later cancelled the Independence Day parade that had been scheduled for October 1, 2025.
Military officers and civilian collaborators connected to the alleged plot to overthrow the government are being tried while still in detention.
The president is expected to stay in Lagos for a few days after the anniversary to handle official engagements before returning to Abuja next weekend.
Tinubu’s return brings to an end an extended working vacation that started on August 30, when he left Abuja for London.
The presidency had initially announced a three-week annual leave, with London named as his first destination.
After about a week in London, the president went to Paris, France, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré, whose business interests include Canal+, MultiChoice, and Universal Music Group.
On September 21, the Presidency announced that Tinubu would extend his stay by a few days, stating that he would return to Nigeria at the weekend. The most recent itinerary, however, places his return on Tuesday, September 29.
Even while away from the country, the president has kept receiving briefings and issuing directives on matters of national importance.
One of the major developments during his absence was his directive for a thorough and transparent investigation into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners held in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Minna, Niger State.
The Federal Government later set up a 10-member independent investigative committee, and several NSCDC officers were suspended pending the outcome of the inquiry. The cause and circumstances of the deaths are still being investigated.
While the president was away, Vice President Kashim Shettima stood in for him at several official engagements, including Nigeria’s participation in the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Shettima left Abuja on September 20 to head Nigeria’s delegation to the UNGA, where he presented the country’s national statement on the President’s behalf.
Since the vice president is also abroad, the secretary to the government of the federation, Senator George Akume, has kept standing in for the president at chosen official events, as arranged earlier by the presidency.
The President’s homecoming also unfolds amid preparations for the 2027 general elections. In recent weeks, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, has guided party leaders in talks with traditional and religious leaders across various parts of the country, forming part of the party’s mobilization efforts ahead of the elections.
As Tinubu is anticipated to return to Lagos on Tuesday, focus will now turn to his Independence Day speech, his engagements after the vacation, and the restart of presidential duties from Abuja next weekend.
