Tinubu heads to TICAD9 in Japan, Brazil for bilateral talks

President Bola Tinubu on Friday departed Abuja for a two-nation official visit to Japan and Brazil, with a brief stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Our correspondent learnt that he left Abuja at 11:15 am.

The President was seen off by top government officials, including the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Before boarding the presidential jet, Tinubu exchanged handshakes and pleasantries with the dignitaries lined up to bid him farewell.

On Wednesday, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had announced that Tinubu would depart on Thursday for the trip. However, the departure took place on Friday.

According to Onanuga, the President’s first stop will be Japan for the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama from August 20 to 22.

Onanuga said beyond the plenary sessions at the conference, Tinubu will hold bilateral meetings and engage with the chief executives of Japanese companies investing in Nigeria.

He also stated that after the Japan engagement, Tinubu will proceed to Brasília for a two-day state visit from Sunday, August 24, to Monday, August 25, at the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.