President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja, following a two-week visit to Japan and Brazil aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic ties.
The President arrived at the presidential wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at exactly 1:30 a.m. on Thursday and was received by top government officials. Among those present were Governors Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Hope Uzodinma (Imo), and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara).
Also present to welcome the President were Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; and Ministers Nyesom Wike (FCT), Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Budget and Economic Planning), and Bello Matawalle (Defence, State).
President Tinubu first departed Abuja for Japan where he attended the ninth edition of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, TICAD9, before proceeding to Brazil to further strengthen ties between Nigeria and the South American country.
In Brazil, President Tinubu and his counterpart, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, witnessed the signing of five Memoranda of Understanding covering aviation, foreign affairs, science and technology, and agriculture.
At a joint press briefing in Brasília, Tinubu welcomed the imminent return of Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned oil giant, to Nigeria, five years after it halted its joint ventures.
The agreements also featured a Bilateral Air Services Agreement, which will enable direct flights between Lagos and São Paulo, operated by Air Peace.
President Tinubu departed Brasília International Airport Air Force Base at 12:57 p.m. local time. At the airport to bid him farewell were the Secretary for Africa and the Middle East, Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte, and the Ambassador of Brazil to Nigeria, Carlos José Areias Moreno Garcete.
