President Bola Tinubu arrived back in the Nigerian capital on Wednesday night, following an eight-day stint in Lagos where he observed the Eid-el-Fitr holidays and held high-level talks with over twenty governors and a group representing the European Union.
The commander-in-chief’s plane took off from the Presidential Wing of Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos at 6:44 pm, per a release from Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
Tinubu had touched down in Nigeria from the United Kingdom early Friday morning, wrapping up what officials labeled a “historic state visit.”
Shortly after his arrival, he joined the Eid-el-Fitr prayer services at the Dodan Barracks in Lagos to commemorate the conclusion of Ramadan.
The President’s schedule in Lagos was packed with diplomatic and political activity. He hosted 23 state governors at his home, including Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State, in a move widely viewed as a push for deeper collaboration between the federal and state governments.
Representatives from the European Union also sat down with the President while he was in Lagos, though the specifics of their dialogue have been kept under wraps.
Furthermore, he met with the Lagos State Governance Advisory Council (GAC), a prominent political body that helps shape the direction of the state’s ruling party.
Vice President Kashim Shettima also made the trip to Lagos to update President Tinubu on his recent visit to Borno State, following a tragic suicide bombing in the area. This meeting highlighted the government’s continued urgency regarding security in the northeast.
As he prepared to leave on Wednesday, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and former Governor Olusegun Osoba were there to bid him farewell. They were joined by Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, and a host of other top officials and party leaders.
The President’s move back to Abuja ends a productive week in Lagos that blended national business with religious tradition.