Tinubu arrives in Abuja from Lagos

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday arrived in Abuja from Lagos where he had observed the Eid-el-Kabir holidays.

The President’s aircraft touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, around 05:00 pm local time.

Until Sunday, Tinubu has been away from Abuja for nearly two weeks.

In that time, he attended the summit for a New Global Financing Pact hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and later moved to London for a private visit.

Tinubu who arrived in Lagos on Tuesday, June 27, spent the next few days visiting several monarchs in the Ogun State and Lagos.

They include the Paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, in Ijebu-Ode and Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, in Abeokuta.

While there, he affirmed that although the new naira policy of the Buhari administration left some sections of his campaign apparatus cash-strapped, it did not thwart his chances of victory in the February 2023 elections.

Tinubu who reflected on the challenges in the build-up to the 2023 presidential election recounted his concerns about the confiscation of funds and the failure of the cashless policy, saying he sought wisdom and guidance from Oba Adetona during his visit to the palace.

He thanked both monarchs for their loyalty and commitment during those crucial times in the 2023 election.

On Saturday, the President received his Bissau Guinean counterpart, Umaro Embalo, who paid him a courtesy visit.

Speaking of the private meeting between both leaders Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, said the President is ready to lead the charge on the local and foreign scenes as the rest of Africa looks up to Nigeria.

“Everybody is looking up to Nigeria, especially in Africa and the ECOWAS region and President Tinubu is ready to take up the gauntlet,” had said.

Alake said Tinubu recognises that other African nations are taking cues from Nigeria in terms of leadership. Therefore, he is prepared to step up to the challenge of providing a befitting example.

Saturday’s visit also allowed Embaló, who is currently the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, to reinforce the fraternal relations between the two countries, the spokesman revealed.

Tinubu returns amidst uncertainty about his list of prospective ministers, whom, according to sources who spoke to The PUNCH, are being background checked by the Department of State Services.

In March, the then Special Adviser to the president-elect, Alake, said Tinubu would convene his cabinet within one month of assuming office.

Alake said this is in line with the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution mandating presidents-elect and governors-elect to submit the names of their ministerial and commissioner nominees within 60 days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or state House of Assembly.

He said, “I told you in an earlier interview that it didn’t take Asiwaju more than three weeks to form his cabinet as governor.

“That was as at that time. I think 60 days is even too much.

“A month, maximum, is enough for any serious government to form its cabinet and put a structure of government in place after the swearing-in.”

In 2015, Nigerians lamented the delay by the Buhari administration in appointing ministers, which took about six months to form its cabinet.