An unusual return of President Bola Tinubu from his vacation ahead of schedule has raised eye-brows across the political space.
The unexpected statement announcing the end of a presidential working holiday was made Monday.
It said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has concluded his work vacation ahead of schedule and will return to Abuja on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, to resume official duties.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy) disclosed this in a statement Monday.
Onanuga recalled that the President departed for France on September 4, 2025, to spend part of his annual holiday and was initially scheduled to divide the period between France and the United Kingdom.
Last week in Paris, President Tinubu held a private luncheon with his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron, at the Élysée Palace. Both leaders reviewed key areas of cooperation between Nigeria and France and agreed to deepen the partnership for mutual prosperity and global stability.
Return amid war of words over hunger in Nigeria
Though there is no evidence that there is any link, however, Presidency’s announcement Monday that he will return ahead of schedule Tuesday came hours after Vice President Atiku Abubakar issued a stinging rebuke of the performance of the Tinubu Presidency.
Newsdiaryonline reports that Atiku is one of the leaders of the opposition coalition angling to defeat Tinubu in the 2027 presidential race.
Atiku’s Arrow: ‘The pervasive hunger, poverty in Nigeria unacceptable’
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has decried the increasing spate of hunger currently ravaging the country, especially the underprivileged poor and down-trodden.
In a press release signed by Paul Ibe, Atiku Media Office, the former Vice President said that whereas the primary objective of any government is the security and welfare of its citizens, the masses of Nigerians are progressively wallowing in misery and poverty under the watch of the Tinubu-led APC administration.
According to Atiku, the current situation does not give cause for cheers as it engenders an increasingly progressive propensity for criminalities in form of high-wire fraud, terrorism, kidnapping, cultism, drug addiction and ritual sacrifice, among others.
The Waziri Adamawa recalls that the most violent socio-political eruptions and revolutions all over the world had often been powered by pervasive hunger and unbearable material conditions – especially the paradox of squalor amidst plenty in our land.
Counselling that the current unacceptable situation offers an opportunity for reflection, the former Vice President cited the French Revolution, the 1917 Russian Revolution and the Arab Spring in which a young man caught in the maelstrom of unbearable frustration set himself ablaze in a development which occasioned violent socio-political eruptions starting out from Tunisia to engulf the Middle-East and North Africa.
“Back home here in Nigeria, it may not be out of place to argue that even the “ENDSARS” protest was fuelled by the traumatising frustration of hunger and insensitivity on the part of the government.”
He also lamented that two years after assuming the reins of government, there are still no manifest signs that this government is capable of addressing the grim issue of severe hunger staring the poor in the face.
“Whatever reform the Tinubu government might claim to be undertaking, the point remains that food insecurity is a daily occurrence nationwide. There is no government worth its salt that does not place priority on the welfare and security of the people.”
He stressed further that since reforms are made for citizens and not the other way round, the reforms of this administration should have a human face.
“Whether the present powers accept it or not, the reality of our existence is that the poor are increasingly dying of hunger while the majority of the living poor exists at the mercy of the ill-advised policies of this government.
Presidency fights back: Atiku, party fixated on doomsday scenarios, revolutionary rhetoric
The Nigerian Presidency has reacted, again furiously, to criticisms by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who in a statement earlier in the day slammed hunger in the land.
Speaking through a statement titled: RESPONSE TO A STATEMENT ISSUED BY FORMER VICE PRESIDENT ATIKU ABUBAKAR ON SEPTEMBER 15, Presidential Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga said “Nigeria is moving in the right direction. In contrast, Atiku and his party remain stuck in the past, fixated on doomsday scenarios and revolutionary rhetoric.”
Onanuga said, “Talk is cheap. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his handlers are clearly out of touch with the positive developments currently unfolding in our country.
“Their claim that hunger is ravaging Nigeria, and their comparison of our situation to the unrest in France before the 1789 Revolution or the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, is grossly misleading.
The Presidential Spokesman said further that, “Their latest statement demonstrates a disconnect from the authentic Nigerian reality, as recent data tells a different story. Just today, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released its figures for August, showing that headline inflation has declined for the fifth consecutive month. Over the weekend, the NBS also reported a record trade surplus, with the contribution of non-oil exports to our trade balance now nearly matching that of crude oil at a ratio of 48:52 per cent.
“Our foreign exchange reserves are on the rise, now approaching $42 billion. When President Tinubu assumed office, reserves stood at $32 billion, much of it encumbered. This administration has since cleared over $7 billion in arrears, including $800 million owed to airlines.
“Under President Tinubu, Nigeria is recording unprecedented revenues. States are now able to pay salaries and gratuities promptly and still have surplus funds for capital and social projects—an achievement not previously witnessed at this scale.
“Ironically, many of the challenges we face today stem from the economic mismanagement during the PDP years, when Atiku was Vice President. President Tinubu and his team are working relentlessly to correct those errors, with bold reforms.
“After just two years and five months in office, we are proud of the progress being made under President Tinubu’s leadership. Atiku and his allies may choose to ignore these gains, but Nigerians can see and feel the positive changes taking place across the nation.”
Atiku, Presidency’s open talk about Revolution
It is not clear if there was any unseen reason for the President’s abrupt return.However, the open reference to Revolution by the mainstream political elite and counterpunch by the presidency on the same matter may be worrisome. Before now, only activist Omoyele Sowore and his supporters made the #RevolutionNow, a central campaign issue on social media.
Hope for Tinubu’s fresh ideas
Perhaps, President Tinubu can douse all concern if he unfurls fresh measures to further tackle the problems of poverty and poverty.
