Meeting with President Macron was productive, says Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has described his recent meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron as “productive,” highlighting renewed cooperation between Nigeria and France.

In a post on his official X handle on Wednesday, Tinubu said the discussions at the Élysée Palace in Paris focused on strengthening bilateral ties and deepening partnership “for mutual prosperity and global stability.”

“Had a productive lunch with President Emmanuel Macron today at the Élysée Palace. We reviewed key areas of cooperation between Nigeria and France and agreed to deepen our partnership for mutual prosperity and global stability,” Tinubu wrote.

The meeting comes as Tinubu continues his 2025 annual leave, which began on September 4. The Presidency had announced that the president would spend 10 working days between France and the United Kingdom before returning to Nigeria.

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In a statement, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, said:
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja today, September 4, to commence a working vacation in Europe, as part of his 2025 annual leave. The vacation will last 10 working days. President Tinubu will spend the period between France and the UK and then return to the country.”

Tinubu’s holiday follows his return from a two-week official trip to Japan and Brazil. He departed Abuja on August 15, stopping briefly in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before proceeding to Yokohama, Japan, for the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), held from August 20 to 22.

While in Japan, the president also held bilateral meetings and engaged with chief executives of Japanese firms with investments in Nigeria. He later travelled to Brasilia, Brazil’s capital, for a state visit at the invitation of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

This is Tinubu’s second trip to France in six months. In April 2025, he paid a short working visit to Paris, during which he reportedly reviewed his administration’s mid-term performance and assessed key milestones—a move that drew criticism from the opposition.

At the time, the Presidency dismissed speculation that Tinubu’s April trip was for medical reasons, insisting it was purely official.