President-elect Bola Tinubu left Nigeria for Europe on Wednesday afternoon, two weeks after returning from a three-country trip that included stops in London, Saudi Arabia, and Paris.
The visit, according to sources, is part of his efforts to fine-tune the transition plans and programmes, and his policy options with some of his key aides.
According to a statement from the President-elect’s Office issued by Tunde Rahman, the trip became necessary to allow Tinubu to complete various chores without undue stress and interruptions.
“During the visit, the President-elect will engage with investors and other key allies with the goal of marketing investment opportunities in the country and his administration’s readiness to enable a business-friendly climate through policies and regulations”, he stated.
The statement noted that already, meetings with multi-sectoral actors in Europe’s business community including manufacturing, agriculture, tech and energy have been lined up.
“Asíwájú Tinubu hopes to convince them of Nigeria’s readiness to do business under his leadership through mutually-beneficial partnerships premised on jobs creation and skills acquisition.
“Reviving the country’s economy forms a major plank of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda and the meeting is part of his efforts to re-establish Nigeria’s importance in the global economic chain and create empowering opportunities for the country’s huge youth population.
“The President-elect has hitherto promised to hit the ground running and the visit is reflective of his commitment to the promise as he has already begun talks with global actors in the important areas of the economy and security.
“Before he left the country, Asíwájú Tinubu met with the House of Representatives candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker endorsed by his party, the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who were presented to him by Joint Task Team of the House.
“He is scheduled to return shortly for preparations towards his official swearing in as the 16th President of the country on May 29, 2023”, Rahman added.