Tag: FRANCE

Tinubu, Macron hold private lunch meeting in France

Aminu Imam
Tinubu, Macron

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, held a private working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris, as his 10-day working leave entered its fifth day. Photographs released by the State House showed both leaders in a warm handshake before proceeding into the palace. Tinubu is currently on the second tranche of his annual leave, which he is spending between France and the United Kingdom. Yesterday’s meeting marks his seventh visit to Paris since assuming office in May 2023, and his first since attending the BRICS summit…

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Tinubu heads to France, UK for 10-day ‘working vacation’ 

Aminu Imam
Tinubu departs

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu departed Abuja yesterday, to commence a working vacation in Europe, as part of his 2025 annual leave. According to a press statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), Bayo Onanuga, the vacation will last 10 working days. President Tinubu will spend the period between France and the UK and then return to the country, the statement added.

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‘France will recognise Palestinian state’ – Macron 

Aminu Imam
France on Palestine

France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, President Emmanuel Macron has said, which will make it the first G-7 nation to do so. The G-7 is a group of major industrialised nations, which alongside France includes the US, the UK, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan. In a post on X, Macron said the formal announcement would be made at a session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York. “The urgent need today is for the war in Gaza to end and for the civilian population…

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Northern group faults Nigeria-France bilateral agreement

Aminu Imam
Northern group faults

A Northern group, Northern Star Youth Empowerment Initiative, (NSYEI), has kicked against the seeming “close romance” between France and the federal government under President Bola Tinubu. In a statement issued to newsmen in Kaduna yesterday, signed by the Director-General of the group, Dr. Abdullahi Idris, recalled that during his recent state visit to France, President Bola Ahmed signed many bilateral agreements with the president of France including on military cooperation and exploitation of Nigeria’s mineral resources by France. “At the moment, our people in the north live in apprehension of…

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Chad cuts military ties with France

Aminu Imam
Chad France

Chad has cut military ties with its former colonial master, France. The announcement was made in a statement on Thursday, hours after Jean-Noel Barrot, French foreign minister, met Chads President Mahamat Deby.  The move leaves the Sahel, a region once brimming with French troops, devoid of one. According to the Chadian foreign minister, Abderaman, it was time for his country to assert its full sovereignty. The statement said Chad intends to reshape its alliances in line with national priorities, but noted that the move would not undermine historical ties with…

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French band performs P-Squares song for Tinubu, wife at Paris State Dinner

Aminu Imam

A French band brought a touch of Nigerian culture to a State dinner in Paris, France, on Thursday, when they delivered a lively rendition of P-Squares hit song: Taste The Money (Testimony) in honour of President Bola Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi. The dinner, hosted at the Palais de llyse by French President Emmanuel Macron, was part of Tinubus three-day State visit to France, which aimed to enhance diplomatic and economic relations between the two nations. In a viral video capturing the highlight of the evening, the band thrilled the…

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Paris: Tinubu urges more investments in food security, solid minerals, energy, education

Aminu Imam
Paris Tinubu urges

President Bola Tinubu yesterday affirmed Nigerias strong commitment to enhancing cooperation in key sectors such as food security, energy, solid minerals, education, and defense during a high-profile meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, at the prestigious Palais des L’lyse. At a joint press conference, President Tinubu highlighted the vast, yet largely untapped potential within Nigeria’s agricultural sector and beckoned international investors to capitalise on the nation’s welcoming investment climate. He emphasised Nigeria’s flourishing financial sector as a facilitator for foreign investment, particularly from French enterprises, as part of the drive to…

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Chinese firm releases seized presidential jet for Tinubus France trip

Aminu Imam
Asiwaju presidential jet

Chinese firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd. has released one of the three Nigerian Airbus A330 aircraft that were detained in France following a court order from a Paris judicial court. Recall that the firm had seized a Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737-7N6/BBJ, and an Airbus A330-243 belonging to the Nigerian federal government, which were stationed at Paris-Le Bourget and Basel-Mulhouse airports. In a statement issued yestetday, the company announced that it had released one of the seized jets as a goodwill gesture ahead of President Bola Ahmed…

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Tinubu heads to France, after attending 78th UNGA in US

Aminu Imam

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made an unexpected stop-over in Paris, France, following his attendance at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States. It was gathered that the impromptu visit to Paris was originally separate from President Tinubus pre-departure itinerary for the UNGA session. However, credible sources familiar with his schedule have indicated that he travelled from New York to Paris for undisclosed reasons. As of the time of this report, the Nigerian Presidency had yet to provide official information regarding the purpose…

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Alake, Edun left out subsidy removal from my inauguration speech, but I announced it – President Tinubu

Aminu Imam

Three weeks after his inauguration, President Bola Tinubu on yesterday in far-away France disclosed that those who wrote his inaugural address on May 29 did not include petrol subsidy removal. Tinubu said the duo of Dele Alake and Wale Edun left out the vexed issue of subsidy from the speech handed over to him for delivery on the occasion. He made the disclosure while meeting with Nigerians residing in France on the sidelines of the two-day financing climate pact summit which ended in Paris yesterday. Tinubu said when he got…

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