Uncertainty beclouds President Tinubu’s trip to France

Barely three days after returning from Equatorial Guinea, President Bola Tinubu will today travel out of the country to France, where a court recently ordered seizure of presidential jets belonging to Nigeria.

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TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports President Tinubu will embark on the trip to France from Monday, 19th of August, departing from Abuja, the nation’s capital, without a set date for his return.

According to Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, who made disclosure in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, Tinubu “would return to the country after his brief working stay in France”.

Recall President Tinubu only last Wednesday left the shores of the country for Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on a three-day official visit to honour the invitation of President Teodoro Mbasogo.

He was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, and others who signed agreements and review opportunities to improve bilateral relations between both countries.

Meanwhile, it is yet to be ascertain if President Tinubu’s visit to France is in connection with the recent seizure of presidential jets belonging to Nigeria.

A Chinese company known as Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd., had secured an order from a Paris Court to take over offshore assets of Nigeria. The orders were dated 7 March and 12 August, 2024.

Zhongshan Industrial Investment Company Limited is seeking to enforce a Final Award granted in its favour on 26 March 2024 against Ogun State government. The arbitral award arose from an arbitration proceeding commenced in 2018 following a contractual dispute between the Chinese company and Ogun State government.

Meanwhile, it was gathered that one of the jets among the three aircraft involved in the seizure has been released, and repatriated to Nigeria.

Nevertheless, Ajuri in the statement disclosing President Tinubu’s trip to France did confirm it is a “working visit”.

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