Has France Replaced Abuja as Nigeria’s Capital?

Yesterday, while a major Lagos road was closed, leaving Lagosians struggling to navigate alternative routes on the island, President Tinubu jetted off on yet another trip to France. According to a statement signed by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the president will use the visit to assess his administration’s midterm performance, an assessment many Nigerians would argue needs no formal appraisal, and strategize for his second anniversary in office, an occasion met with little anticipation. The trip has been officially labeled a “working visit.”

A look at the president’s travel record reveals a pattern. Since taking office, he has made multiple visits to France: attending a finance summit in Paris in June 2023 before proceeding to London; embarking on a private visit in February 2024; traveling to Paris in August 2024 on Nigeria’s newly acquired presidential jet; and signing infrastructure and food security agreements in November 2024. His February 2024 visit came shortly after attending the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with reports indicating he underwent medical examinations at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine. In 2025 alone, the president has spent 21 days in France. 

Regarding his current visit, Nigerian activist and politician Omoyele Sowore has publicly asserted on Facebook that the president is seeking medical treatment, stating: “It is troubling to know that approximately 200 million Nigerians may be repeatedly subjected to misinformation disseminated on a daily basis, and they in turn do nothing to liberate themselves.”

Concerns about President Tinubu’s health were prominent even before the 2023 general elections. Beyond visible signs of frailty, reports indicate that between 2020 and 2022, he underwent multiple medical procedures in France, the United States, and the United Kingdom, including a knee surgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. While seeking medical care is reasonable, the circumstances surrounding his treatment abroad raise serious questions. 

First, his inability or unwillingness to utilize Nigeria’s medical facilities contradicts his stated commitment to “prioritising the needs of Nigerians and our nation’s interests as we work towards strategically implementing sustainable policies.” How can sustainable development be achieved when the country’s leadership cannot rely on its own healthcare system? Does this not reveal fundamental shortcomings in healthcare infrastructure and undermine claims of meaningful policy implementation? 

Secondly, the characterization of these frequent trips—now five visits to France—as “private visits” or “working visits” is outlandish. What exactly are the tangible outcomes of these supposed working engagements? There is a troubling lack of transparency with the Nigerian public.

Beyond medical concerns, the president’s travels also raise issues about his relationship with the Chagoury Group (longtime associates responsible for major infrastructure projects, including Eko Atlantic and the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway). Is he traveling to personally provide updates on government contracts? More importantly, has France become an extension of Nigeria’s administrative territory? 

These unchecked trips occur amid an economic recession and rising suicide rates, underscoring the administration’s disconnect from democratic principles and accountability. The president’s absence during critical times fuels a cycle of governance failure, magnified by his reliance on medical tourism. His continual absence highlights the stark disparity between leadership privilege and everyday struggles, undermining his credibility in delivering sustainable domestic solutions. Ultimately, this detachment reinforces the perception that those in power are neither present nor invested in the struggles of the people they claim to serve. One wonders how ordinary Nigerians, those struggling through daily hardships or stuck in gridlocked traffic till midnight, would respond if told directly that their president was departing for yet another “working trip” abroad while domestic challenges remain unaddressed.