After spending two weeks in private travel in Paris, France, President Bola Tinubu returned to Nigeria on Tuesday night.
At around 9:00 p.m., the presidential aircraft, NAF 001, made landfall at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
A number of high ranking government officials attended the President’s reception, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, National Security Adviser, and Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, the minister of state for petroleum resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, and Yusuf Bichi, the director general of the Department of State Service, were also on the receiving queue.
The Nigerian leader was scheduled to return “in the first week of February 2024,” according to a statement announcing his departure on January 24.
The presidency did not provide an explanation for the visit, however.After taking office eight months ago, Tinubu has travelled abroad fourteen times, including three times to France.
In some states, protests over the rising cost of food and living are the reason for his return.
Anger-filled women and youths protested against what they saw as the rising cost of living in the nation on Monday and Tuesday in the streets of Kano and Minna, the capital of Niger State.
In Ondo State, in the southwest of Nigeria, comparable demonstrations also broke out.Speaking on Tuesday, Tinubu ordered quick actions to ease the suffering and prevent a worsening of the security situation, according to Muhammad Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation.
Following a meeting at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, the Special Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention was presided over by Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff.
The minister delivered her remarks following the meeting.Following the first of three meetings on Tuesday, Mohammed said to the media, “It is a special presidential committee to address the issue of food shortage or lack of enough food on the table of most Nigerians.”
“I will inform Nigerians that the government must intervene in order to stop this trend, per the President’s directive. When it comes to the availability of these food items, the government will not stand by and watch while Nigerians suffer.
Thus, I would like to beg you to have compassion for the government. We will be able to make a clear announcement about the government’s stance on this matter by the end of these meetings. But all I can say is that talks are taking place, and Nigerians should soon be able to find a solution.
In addition to asserting that there was no food shortage in Nigeria, Idris said the Federal Government was negotiating lower prices for certain commodities by securing increased supply with major millers and traders.
Additionally, he claimed that certain groups were causing chaos by taking advantage of the depreciating naira and the high cost of food.
“The government is also talking to major millers and major commodity traders, also to see what is available in their stores, to open it up so the government will provide some intervention, discuss with them, provide some intervention to make this food available to Nigerians.“What the government is noticing is that actually there is still food in this country. Some people are taking advantage of the situation, especially because of the depreciation in the value of our currency, which has led to the cost of these food items also going up.
“So, all these issues were discussed…the National Security Adviser was there because this also has some national security implications. All these have been discussed,” the minister explained.