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Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja for Dakar, Senegal, to represent President Bola Tinubu at the country’s 65th Independence Day Anniversary celebrations.
Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Senegal celebrates its Independence Day on April 4 annually, commemorating its freedom from French colonial rule in 1960.
The day is marked by national pride, with ceremonies, parades, and cultural events.
This year’s celebrations will be held at the Place de la Nation in Dakar. President Bassirou Faye will host Vice President Shettima and other distinguished guests from across Africa and beyond.
Nkwocha explained that Shettima’s attendance at the event was in honour of an invitation extended to President Tinubu by Senegalese President Faye, based on the mutual relationship between both countries.
He added that the Vice-President is expected to return to Nigeria on Friday after the one-day event.
This comes barely 24 hours after President Tinubu jetted off to France for a short working visit. This visit will allow him to appraise his administration’s mid-term performance and assess key milestones.
“He will also use the retreat to review the progress of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning ahead of his administration’s second anniversary," Bayo Onanuga, his spokesman, said in a statement.
“This period of reflection will inform plans to deepen ongoing reforms and accelerate national development priorities in the coming year.”