By Kazeem Ugbodaga
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday hosted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to a private dinner at the Élysée Palace in Paris, during the second leg of the Nigerian leader’s three-week annual leave in Europe.
The meeting, disclosed on Friday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, brought the two leaders together for a private engagement at the French presidential palace.
Onanuga said the dinner reflected the enduring relationship between Nigeria and France and the commitment of both countries to strengthening bilateral cooperation.
Photographs released from the dinner showed Tinubu and Macron together at the Élysée Palace, while another image featured Macron’s wife, Brigitte Macron, with the two presidents.
Tinubu departed Abuja on August 30 for a three-week annual leave in Europe, with London as his first destination. The Presidency had said the President would return to Nigeria after the vacation.
He subsequently arrived in Paris on September 13 for the second leg of his leave and was received by Nigeria’s Ambassador to France, Ayodele Oke.
The private dinner with Macron therefore took place while Tinubu was in France as part of his scheduled holiday.
Details of what was discussed during the private dinner were not made public. Onanuga’s disclosure focused on the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and France and the two countries’ shared commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation.
The engagement adds to the series of contacts between Tinubu and Macron since the Nigerian President assumed office, while underscoring the continued diplomatic relationship between Abuja and Paris.
