Thursday, March 23, 2023

President-Elect Bola Tinubu Leaves Nigeria to Rest in Europe After Campaign

Nigeria’s president-elect left the country Tuesday to rest after his recent electoral campaign, his office said.

Bola Tinubu, who will be inaugurated as president on May 29, will visit Paris and London before traveling to Saudi Arabia to take part in a pilgrimage during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that begins on Thursday, his spokesman said in a statement.

“While away, the president-elect will also use the opportunity to plan his transition program,” according to the statement. His office didn’t say when Tinubu would return.

Tinubu, 70, is a frequent visitor to London and spent 90 days in the city in 2021 undergoing and recuperating from knee surgery. He dismissed concerns about his health raised by opponents during the campaign before last month’s presidential election.

Visits to London for health-care aren’t uncommon for Nigerian leaders. Outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari was a frequent traveler to the UK capital for medical reasons, which overshadowed his rule of Africa’s most-populous country. 

By Ruth Olurounbi, Bloomberg

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