President Bola Tinubu on Monday met billionaire businessman Femi Otedola at a private dinner in Paris, France, as the President’s extended stay in Europe continues.
Otedola disclosed the meeting in a post on X on Tuesday, sharing a photograph of himself with President Tinubu.
The businessman expressed support for Tinubu’s economic policies, highlighting what he described as gains from the administration’s reforms.
“At a private dinner in Paris yesterday evening with His Excellency, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose bold and forward-thinking reforms have put our economy firmly on a path of sustainable growth,” Otedola wrote.
He cited the inclusion of leading Nigerian companies in the FTSE Russell Frontier 50 Index, the performance of the Nigerian Exchange, increased foreign direct investment and what he described as renewed investor confidence.
Otedola also pointed to a more stable foreign exchange market and Nigeria’s foreign reserves, which he said stood at about $55 billion.
“I remain proud of you, Mr. President!” he added.
Tinubu’s meeting with Otedola comes amid continued attention to the President’s extended stay abroad and his absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for London for what the Presidency initially described as a three-week working vacation. He later travelled to Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré.
On September 21, the Presidency announced that President Tinubu’s stay had been extended by “a few days,” with plans for him to return at the weekend. The schedule was subsequently adjusted, with presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirming on September 27 that President Tinubu would return on Tuesday, September 29, and land in Lagos ahead of Independence Day celebrations on October 1.
The President’s prolonged stay abroad and his absence from the UNGA have drawn criticism from opposition groups and some Nigerians.
A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party criticised the extension of President Tinubu’s stay and his decision not to attend the UN gathering, while the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council called for an explanation over his continued absence.
The 81st UNGA marked President Tinubu’s third consecutive absence from the annual gathering. Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria and delivered the country’s national statement.
The Presidency has maintained that Tinubu’s absence would not affect Nigeria’s diplomatic standing or its role in African affairs.