Tinubu jets off to London for 2-week leave

President Bola Tinubu is expected to leave Nigeria today, October 2, 2024, for the United Kingdom for two weeks.

He is expected to return to the country on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.

Confirming this in a statement on Wednesday, October 3, 2024, Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy said Tinubu "will use the two weeks as a working vacation and a retreat to reflect on his administration’s economic reforms."

"He will return to the country after the leave expires,” he added.

In a tweet that followed the announcement, Onanuga shared pictures of the president at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport leaving the country for the United Kingdom.

It is not clear if the president transmitted power to the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, before embarking on his UK trip as required by the constitution.

What does the law say?

The Nigerian Constitution requires the president to write the National Assembly informing them of his plan to embark on a vacation.

Section 145, subsection1 says: “Whenever the President transmits to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary such functions shall be discharged by the vice-president as acting president.”

Subsection 2 states, "In the event that the President is unable or fails to transmit the written declaration mentioned in subsection (1) of this section within 21 days, the National Assembly shall, by a resolution made by a simple majority of the vote of each House of the National Assembly, mandate the Vice-President to perform the functions of the office of the President as Acting President until the President transmits a letter to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives that he is now available to resume his functions as President.’’

This is President Tinubu's 27th foreign trip since he assumed office in May 2023.