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• To host MKO documentary premiere Oct 1
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, dismissed speculation over his health, declaring that he was healthy, sound and ready to resume official duties after returning to Nigeria from a month-long working vacation in Europe.
Tinubu spoke with journalists shortly after arriving at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, where he was received by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and other senior government officials.
Asked about concerns over his health and readiness to return fully to work, the President said there was nothing wrong with him.
“Ready to kick, ready to work. There’s nothing wrong.
“Well, rumour will always be emanating from politics, but the facts remain I’m here: healthy, sound and ready to go,” Tinubu said.
Asked about his experience during the vacation, he replied: “I enjoyed myself.”
His remarks came against the backdrop of speculation surrounding his prolonged stay abroad after the three-week vacation initially announced by the Presidency stretched to about one month.
Tinubu left Abuja on August 30 for what the Presidency described as a three-week working vacation as part of his annual leave.
He spent about one week in London before travelling to Paris, France, where he remained until his departure for Nigeria on Tuesday. The Presidency later announced that the vacation had been extended by a few days.
His return also places him in Lagos ahead of Nigeria’s 66th Independence anniversary and the October 1 national premiere of MKO, a documentary on the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola and the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
The Presidency said Tinubu chose to return to Lagos first partly to honour Abiola, whose presumed victory in the June 12 election was annulled by the military government, triggering years of political crisis and pro-democracy agitation.
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Tinubu will serve as Chief Host of the national premiere of MKO at the National Theatre, Lagos, on Independence Day, before the documentary opens in cinemas nationwide on October 2.
The documentary, directed by Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan, chronicles Abiola’s political journey, the annulled June 12 election, the resistance that followed and the circumstances surrounding his death in detention in 1998.
It features archival materials and first-hand accounts from key actors and witnesses to the June 12 crisis, including former military President Ibrahim Babangida, former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and Abiola’s running mate, Baba Gana Kingibe.
Also featured are former United States diplomats Walter Carrington and Thomas Pickering, former Canadian High Commissioner Gerald Ohlsen, members of the Abiola family, foreign journalists and Theodore Zadok, who served as Abiola’s security guard during his detention.
The film had its international premiere at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival on June 12 and has since featured on the international documentary circuit.
Nile Entertainment is handling its nationwide theatrical distribution, with the Nigerian cinema release scheduled for October 2.
Tinubu’s arrival was announced at about 6:22 p.m. by his Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, who posted a video of the President’s reception on his verified X handle.
“Landing. Welcome home Mr President!” Olusegun wrote.
While in Paris, Tinubu attended a private dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron and also met businessman Vincent Bolloré and other business leaders.
He also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ogun State Government and DP World for the proposed Gateway Deep Seaport and Blue Marine Economic Zone.
The President is expected to undertake Independence anniversary and political engagements in Lagos before returning to Abuja.
