President Bola Tinubu is hale and hearty and has remained engaged in official duties despite his absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to a statement defending his ongoing working vacation.
The statement said Tinubu, who announced his annual vacation and delegated Nigeria’s representation at the UNGA to Vice President Kashim Shettima, had continued to work remotely and engage investors while away from Abuja.
It said the President’s absence from the capital should not be interpreted as inactivity.
“In this digital age, he does not need to be physically present in Abuja to do the work for which he was elected in 2023,” the statement said.
According to the statement, Tinubu had held meetings with investors in France during the vacation.
It cited his role in facilitating a $7bn deep-sea port project in Ogun Waterside, an initiative of the Ogun State Government, as evidence of his continued engagement.
The statement also compared Tinubu’s absence from the UNGA with that of two other African leaders.
It noted that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi were also absent from the New York gathering.
“Ramaphosa booked himself off public engagements,” the statement said, adding that there was no uproar in Johannesburg and Pretoria over his absence.
It similarly noted that Egypt did not witness widespread controversy over el-Sisi’s decision not to attend the UNGA.
The statement criticised former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for questioning Tinubu’s whereabouts on X.
“Yet Peter Obi pretends to be unaware of President Tinubu’s whereabouts and asks the puerile question his followers are asking on X,” it said.
The statement added that Tinubu was expected to return to Nigeria this week to mark the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
It said the President would also honour the late MKO Abiola, whom it described as a martyr of Nigeria’s democratic struggle, by attending the premiere of a movie about his life in Lagos.
The defence comes amid public attention over Tinubu’s absence from the UNGA, where Shettima represented Nigeria.
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