TINUBU, OTEDOLA MEET AT PRIVATE DINNER IN PARIS

President Bola Tinubu met billionaire businessman Femi Otedola at a private dinner in Paris, France, on Monday.

Otedola disclosed the meeting in a post on his X account on Tuesday, sharing a photograph of himself and the President smiling together.

The businessman expressed support for Tinubu’s economic policies, highlighting what he described as gains from the administration’s reforms.

Otedola pointed to the inclusion of 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 confidence in the economy.

He also cited what he called a more stable foreign exchange market and said Nigeria’s foreign reserves were standing at about $55bn.

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

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

The Presidency subsequently announced extensions to his stay, with presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirming that Tinubu would return to Nigeria on Tuesday, September 29, ahead of Independence Day events in Lagos.

Tinubu’s prolonged absence from Nigeria and the UN General Assembly has attracted criticism from opposition groups and other Nigerians.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the UNGA and delivered the country’s national statement.

The Presidency maintained that Tinubu’s absence from the gathering would not affect Nigeria’s diplomatic standing or its role in African affairs.