President Bola Tinubu arrived in Lagos on Friday evening following a diplomatic and economic engagement tour of France, Kenya and Rwanda. His aircraft landed at 7:12 p.m. at the Presidential Wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja. He was received by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Femi Hamzat, Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly Mudashiru Obasa, and other government officials.
During his visit to France, Tinubu met with global investors, stressing transparency and fiscal discipline. He explained the reasoning behind his administration's rapid rollout of economic reforms. In Nairobi, Kenya, he attended the Africa Forward Summit, co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto. There, Tinubu advocated for a restructuring of the global financial system and greater economic integration to advance Africa's development. He also promoted Nigeria's role in the blue economy, offering to share the country's maritime intelligence infrastructure with Gulf of Guinea nations.
Tinubu held a bilateral meeting in Nairobi with Madagascar's President Michael Randrianirina. In Kigali, Rwanda, he participated in the Africa CEO Forum, where discussions centred on regional integration and cross-border investments as tools for accelerating Africa's economic transformation. He met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and representatives from the International Finance Corporation, APM Terminals and Winme Group. A statement from special adviser Bayo Onanuga described the meetings as yielding "notable favourable outcomes."
Tinubu also took part in panel discussions on his government's economic reform agenda while in Rwanda. Upon return, the presidency confirmed he would attend the All Progressives Congress primaries beginning Saturday in Lagos. The statement noted that Tinubu had urged APC members to remain peaceful and act as "sportsmen and women in the overall interest of the party and our country."
Tinubu promotes regional economic integration abroad while overseeing a party primary at home that hinges on individual political survival. His call for fiscal transparency abroad contrasts with the APC's internal selection process, which lacks public oversight. The same economic reforms pitched to investors will affect Nigerians long after the primaries conclude. Those reforms, and not party tickets, will determine the public's real stake in his agenda.
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