President Tinubu will depart Abuja for Makkah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday to perform Umrah, the lesser Hajj pilgrimage in the Holy City.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced the trip in a statement issued Wednesday.
According to the statement, the visit offers the President an opportunity for spiritual reflection, devotion, and prayers focused on Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability, and continuous progress.
While in Makkah, the President will complete all religious rituals associated with Umrah to seek divine guidance and blessings for the nation and its citizens.
Before departing Abuja, President Tinubu will commission newly acquired operational equipment for the Nigerian Air Force at the Presidential Wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The President will return to Nigeria next week following the conclusion of his pilgrimage.
The statement read, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Thursday for Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to perform Umrah, an Islamic spiritual exercise involving a pilgrimage to the Holy City.
The visit gives the President an opportunity for spiritual reflection, devotion, and prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability, and continued progress.
While in Makkah, President Tinubu will perform the religious rites associated with Umrah, seeking Allah’s guidance and blessings for Nigeria and its people.
Before leaving Abuja, President Tinubu will commission at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport some equipment acquired by the Nigerian Air Force for its operations.
The President is expected back in the country next week, after completing the spiritual exercise.
Backstory…
President Bola Tinubu’s planned trip to Saudi Arabia comes barely a month after he returned from an extended working vacation in Europe, which sparked public debate over the length of his absence from Nigeria and the constitutional requirements governing a president’s time abroad.
Tinubu left Abuja on August 30, 2026, for what the Presidency initially described as a three-week annual leave, with London as his first destination before proceeding to Paris.
The State House, Abuja+1
The President was initially expected to return after 21 days, but the Presidency announced on September 21 that he had extended his stay by a few days. He eventually returned to Nigeria on September 29, bringing his European trip to an end after approximately four weeks abroad.
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