By Peter Omopo
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday 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 exchanging a warm handshake before proceeding into the palace for closed-door talks.
The meeting marks Tinubu’s seventh visit to Paris since assuming office in May 2023 and his first trip to France since attending the BRICS Summit in Brazil and the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Japan earlier this year.
Tinubu is currently on the second tranche of his annual leave, which he is spending between France and the United Kingdom.
So far in 2025, the Nigerian leader has embarked on 15 international trips across 11 countries, covering summits, bilateral meetings, state visits, presidential inaugurations, and official leave.
His foreign itinerary this year began with a visit to Accra, Ghana, for the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama on January 7, followed by trips to the UAE for the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Summit, Tanzania for the Africa Heads of State Energy Summit, and Ethiopia for the 37th African Union Summit.
Tinubu has also visited the Vatican for the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, Saint Lucia for a state visit and CARICOM address, Brazil for the BRICS Summit, Japan for TICAD, and the UAE twice for high-level engagements.
His current stop in Paris is the third this year and part of a broader working vacation that also includes London.
Details of the discussions with Macron were not immediately disclosed, but the meeting is seen as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria-France relations on trade, investment, and regional security.
