President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to perform the Umrah pilgrimage and offer prayers for Nigeria.
Tinubu was received on arrival on Thursday by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Yakubu Gambo; BUA Group Chairman, Abdulsamad Rabiu; Senator Abdulaziz Yari; and Saudi Arabia’s Head of Royal Protocol, Ahmad bin Thafir.
The President had departed Abuja earlier on Thursday for Makkah, where he is expected to undertake the lesser Hajj, also known as Umrah.
According to reports, the presidential aircraft, an Airbus A330-200, took off from Abuja at about 2:20 p.m.
Among the dignitaries who saw Tinubu off at the airport were Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, Sokoto State Governor Ahmad Aliyu, Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi and Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni.
Other officials present included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi; and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Mexico, Reno Omokri.
Tinubu’s trip was announced on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement titled, “President Tinubu departs Abuja for Makkah to pray for the nation.”
However, the President’s trip has attracted political controversy following allegations by former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku claimed that Tinubu was travelling to France rather than Saudi Arabia, alleging that the announcement of the Umrah pilgrimage was intended to conceal the President’s actual destination.
In a statement issued on Wednesday through Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication for the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said he had received what he described as credible intelligence suggesting that the pilgrimage announcement was a “smokescreen.”
The former Vice President also questioned whether the trip was connected to concerns about Tinubu’s health and a reported $20 billion loan request involving a French business partner.
Atiku called on the Presidency to clarify the allegations and make the President’s itinerary public.
