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By Seyi Odewale
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga has dismissed concerns over President Bola Tinubu’s absence from Nigeria, saying the President is “hale and hearty” and has continued working while on his annual vacation in Europe.
Onanuga’s statement followed comments by Peter Obi questioning Tinubu’s whereabouts and his absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Obi, in a statement, asked: “Where is Nigeria’s President?”
The former presidential candidate raised the question after watching an address by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama at the UN General Assembly.
Obi questioned Tinubu’s absence from the gathering, arguing that Nigeria, as Africa’s most populous country, should be represented by its President at major international engagements.
He also questioned Tinubu’s absence from recent UN General Assembly sessions and asked where the President was at a time Nigeria was facing significant domestic and international challenges.
But Onanuga, in his response, said Tinubu’s absence from Abuja did not mean that he had stopped working.
“President Tinubu is hale and hearty. Nigeria’s President is hale and hearty,” Onanuga said.
He explained that Tinubu had been on a working vacation, which he said the President was entitled to, adding that modern technology allowed him to perform his presidential responsibilities without being physically present in Abuja.
“In this digital age, he does not need to be physically present in Abuja to do the work for which he was elected in 2023,” he said.
Onanuga pointed to Tinubu’s engagements in France as evidence that the President had remained active while away from Nigeria.
He cited Tinubu’s involvement in the proposed $7 billion deep-sea port project at Ogun Waterside, an initiative of the Ogun State Government.
According to Onanuga, the President has continued to perform his responsibilities while outside the country and has remained engaged with matters of national development.
He argued that Tinubu’s decision not to attend the UN General Assembly should not be interpreted as an abandonment of his official duties.
The presidential spokesman also noted that two other African leaders, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, were not present at the UN gathering.
Onanuga said Ramaphosa had booked himself off public engagements, while Egypt did not experience a public uproar over Sisi’s absence from New York.
He said Tinubu had instead delegated Vice President Kashim Shettima to represent Nigeria at the UN General Assembly.
Shettima attended the gathering and represented Nigeria at the high-level diplomatic engagements in New York.
Onanuga maintained that the President’s absence from the United States should therefore not be construed as an inability to discharge his responsibilities.
He also criticised Obi for questioning Tinubu’s whereabouts, saying the former presidential candidate was aware that the President had announced his annual vacation.
“Yet Peter Obi pretends to be unaware of President Tinubu’s whereabouts and asks the puerile question his followers are asking on X,” Onanuga said.
He said Tinubu would return to Nigeria during the week to participate in activities marking the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
Onanuga added that the President would honour the late MKO Abiola, a prominent figure in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle, by attending the premiere of a film produced in his memory in Lagos.
