Following a week of secrecy surrounding his whereabouts at the conclusion of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Bola Tinubu has now arrived in Nigeria.
After members of the delegation that traveled with the president to the US returned back to the country, concerns arose regarding the president’s itinerary.
He traveled to the US with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, and the Chief of Staff for the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, had been silent on the location of Tinubu who departed New York on September 22.
The president’s whereabouts were unknown until he returned to Nigeria on Friday night, although unconfirmed reports had it that he flew to Paris from New York.
While in US, the Nigerian leader had addressed the General Assembly, saying his country accords with the objectives and guiding principles of the world body: peace, security, human rights and development.
Tinubu, as Chairman of ECOWAS, solicited help to re-establish democratic governance in a manner that addresses the political and economic challenges confronting that nation, including the violent extremists who seek to foment instability in our region.
He had also met with some Nigerians in the U.S, where he urged them to change their mindset to succeed.
At the Presidential Town Hall Meeting with Nigerians in the diaspora, Tinubu urged them to come back home, noting that Nigeria has arrived and that they should forget the frustration of the previous year’s leadership,
Following his interaction with Nigerians, he spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and said that African countries will begin to take the necessary steps against individuals who illegally siphon and smuggle out the continent’s vast mineral resources.
The Nigerian president informed the head of the UN that operations against individuals who smuggle Western-made weapons and resources out of Africa have been discouraged by the use of human rights.
In the financial center of the world, New York, he also rang the bell at the National Association of Securities Dealers Automatic Quotation System.
Ada Peter
