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President Bola Tinubu has departed Nigeria for a three-week vacation in Europe, with his media aide, Sunday Dare, saying the break will allow the President to “refuel” ahead of months of intense political activity.
Dare, Presidential Adviser on Media and Public Communications, disclosed this on Sunday while addressing journalists shortly after Tinubu departed Abuja. He said the President had spent the past six to seven months handling major issues concerning the country.
“The President has had several months six, seven months of being engaged with state matters. We’ve seen monumental changes, monumental decisions taken with our security, with our economy and so many other things as pertains to the running of the affairs of this country,” he said.
According to Dare, the President’s vacation comes as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum, with the campaign season expected to involve several months of demanding political activities.
“And at this point, the campaign season has just started. We have four, five months of serious campaigning. Of course, governance will still continue,” Dare said.
He explained that the President needed the break to rest and prepare for the campaign period, while stressing that Tinubu would remain in touch with government officials and continue receiving briefings during his stay abroad.
“And at this point, it’s important that the President also refuels. And even though he’s going on leave, we know that he’ll be engaged with state matters on a daily basis. He will receive briefings from his ministers, from the service chiefs as the case may be, and from every other person who is handling very key decisions in our country,” he said.
Footage from Tinubu’s departure showed the President arriving at the airport in a motorcade before boarding the aircraft, as government officials, security personnel and military officers participated in the send-off.
The departure followed an earlier announcement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, that Tinubu would spend three weeks in Europe as part of his 2026 annual leave. Onanuga said the President’s first stop would be London, United Kingdom.
He added that Tinubu would return to Nigeria after the working vacation to join the campaign for the January 2027 election.
Tinubu’s departure comes shortly after Vice President Kashim Shettima returned from a two-week leave on August 18, two days ahead of his scheduled return. Shettima began his leave on August 6, with his office saying the period was intended for “study, reflection and intellectual renewal.”
