JUST IN: President Tinubu Jets Off to France Days After Chinese Firm Leak

President Bola Tinubu is set to depart for France on Monday, August 19, for a “brief work stay,” according to a statement released by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity. This announcement follows a leak by Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, a Chinese company involved in a legal dispute with Nigeria.

While the official statement from Ngelale did not specify the purpose of the trip, it confirmed that Tinubu would return to Nigeria after his stay in France. The announcement comes days after Zhongshan revealed the release of one of three Nigerian presidential jets it had seized under a French court order. The company stated that the release was a “gesture of goodwill” upon learning that Tinubu required the aircraft for a scheduled meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The Chinese firm had previously detained a Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737-7N6/BBJ, and an Airbus A330-243 belonging to the Nigerian government, citing a breach of contract by the Ogun State government in 2016. According to Zhongshan, one jet was released specifically to facilitate President Tinubu’s upcoming diplomatic engagement in France.

This will be Tinubu’s second international trip within a week, as he recently returned from a three-day official visit to Equatorial Guinea. The timing of the France visit and the circumstances surrounding the release of the seized jet have sparked widespread interest and speculation.