Tinubu, Otedola meet at private dinner in France

Femi Otedola and President Bola Tinubu. CREDIT: X | Femi Ote

President Bola Tinubu on Monday hosted billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, at a private dinner in Paris, France, as the President continues his extended stay in Europe.

Otedola disclosed the meeting in a post on his X handle on Tuesday, sharing a photograph of the two men smiling side by side.

He expressed support for Tinubu’s economic policies and highlighting what he described as gains from the administration’s reforms.

“At a private dinner in Paris yesterday evening with His Excellency, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose bold and forward-thinking reforms have put our economy firmly on a path of sustainable growth,” Otedola wrote.

He cited the inclusion of top Nigerian companies in the FTSE Russell Frontier 50 Index, the performance of the Nigerian Exchange, increased foreign direct investment and what he described as renewed economic confidence.

Otedola also pointed to a “unified and more stable foreign exchange market” and foreign reserves, which he said were “standing strong at about $55 billion”.

He added, “I remain proud of you, Mr. President!”

The meeting comes amid continued attention to Tinubu’s prolonged stay abroad and his absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

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Tinubu departed Nigeria on August 30 for London to begin what the Presidency described as a three-week working vacation. He subsequently travelled to Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré.

On September 21, the presidency announced a first extension of “a few days,” saying Tinubu would return at the weekend. That schedule was later adjusted again, with presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirming on September 27 that the president would now return on Tuesday, September 29, landing in Lagos ahead of Independence Day events on October 1.

The prolonged stay abroad and Tinubu’s absence from the UNGA have attracted criticism from opposition groups and other Nigerians.

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party criticised the extension of the President’s vacation and his decision not to attend the UN gathering, while the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council also demanded an explanation over his continued absence.

The 81st UNGA marked Tinubu’s third consecutive absence from the annual gathering. Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the meeting, where he delivered the country’s national statement.

The Presidency said Tinubu’s absence would not diminish Nigeria’s diplomatic standing or its role in African affairs.