By: Odeh Favour Adiya
President Bola Tinubu on Monday hosted billionaire businessman Femi Otedola to 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 both men smiling side by side.
He expressed strong support for President Tinubu’s economic policies, highlighting what he described as significant gains from the administration’s ongoing 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.
The business mogul cited the inclusion of top Nigerian companies in the FTSE Russell Frontier 50 Index, the strong 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”.
“I remain proud of you, Mr. President!” he added.
The meeting comes amid continued public attention surrounding President Tinubu’s prolonged stay abroad and his absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
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 held meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and French businessman Vincent Bolloré.
On September 21, the Presidency announced a first extension of the leave by “a few days,” stating that the President 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 celebrations on October 1.
The extended stay abroad and President Tinubu’s absence from UNGA have generated sharp criticism from opposition political groups and concerned citizens.
A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) criticized the extension of the President’s vacation and his decision to skip the UN gathering, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council similarly demanded an explanation regarding his continued absence.
The 81st UNGA marked President Tinubu’s third consecutive absence from the annual global gathering.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the assembly, where he delivered the nation’s national address.
Defending the trip, the Presidency maintained that the President’s absence would not diminish Nigeria’s diplomatic standing or its leadership role in African affairs.
