PRESIDENT TINUBU PROCEEDS ON 3-WEEKS ANNUAL LEAVE
By Spokesperson: Dr. Sunday Dare, CON
8/30/20263 min read
1. KEY QUOTES FROM DR. SUNDAY DARE IN VIDEO
The president has had several months of being engaged with state matters. We've seen monumental changes, monumental decisions taken with our security, with our economy.
At this point, it's important that the president also refuels.
Even though it's going to be leave, we know that he will be engaged with state matters on a daily basis. He will receive briefings from his ministers, from the service chiefs.
2. STRATEGIC ANGLES
Refuel to Serve": After Shell $7B, Blue Economy, Subsidy, Moody's - he has earned rest
"No Vacuum": Daily briefings kills "he abandoned Nigeria" narrative
"Campaign Season": Dr Dare mentioned 4-5 months of campaigning coming. This leave positions him well
"Transparency": Spokesperson Dare came out to announce it properly
Let’s be honest for a second. The moment news broke that President Tinubu was heading to the UK for a three-week leave, you could almost hear the collective groan from his critics. “Here we go again,” they’d say. “Another leader jetting off while the country burns.” But if you step back and look at the actual situation on the ground—not the social media outrage, but the facts—this leave makes a lot more sense than the noise suggests.
First off, governance has never been about one man being physically chained to a desk in Aso Rock. That’s not how modern states work. And the way Dr. Sunday Dare, the President’s spokesperson, rolled out the announcement actually shows a level of transparency we don’t always see. He didn’t hide it. He came out, explained it, and even used the phrase “refuel to serve.” That’s not a gaffe—that’s a deliberate framing. And honestly, it lands.
Think about what this administration has pushed through in recent months. The fuel subsidy removal alone was a political grenade that most leaders would have kicked down the road forever. Then you have the Shell $7 billion investment, the Blue Economy push, the Moody’s outlook upgrade. These are not the actions of a man who’s coasting. So when Dr. Dare says the President has “earned” some rest, it’s not spin. It’s just basic human physiology. Leaders are not robots. They get tired. And a tired leader makes bad calls. Better he steps back now, in August, than burn out in the middle of a heated campaign season next year.
And that’s the other thing. The timing. We are not in the middle of an election right now. The real electioneering doesn’t kick off for another four or five months. If the President had taken this leave in, say, January or February of 2027, that would be a problem. But now? It’s actually smart. He’s banking rest before the storm. By the time the campaign trail heats up, he’ll be recharged while the opposition is just starting to get exhausted.
Now, let’s talk about the “vacuum” argument. That one falls apart quickly when you read the fine print. The President is not switching off his phone and disappearing. He’s getting daily briefings from ministers and service chiefs. That’s what we call a working leave. It’s not a vacation from responsibility—it’s a change of scenery. The machinery of state does not stop because the President is in London. If anything, this is a test of the system. And so far, the system is holding. That’s actually a good thing for Nigeria. We should want a government that functions even when the top guy takes a breather. That’s called institutional strength.
And look at the security situation. Yesterday, coordinated military operations neutralized armed men in Borno and Zamfara. That’s not a coincidence. That’s the result of a strategy that has been building for months. The President can step back precisely because the security chiefs have momentum. He’s not abandoning a sinking ship—he’s letting the crew sail while he checks the map. The narrative that he left because things are falling apart is just false. If anything, he left because things are finally starting to stabilize enough that he can afford to blink.
There’s also a political layer here that shouldn’t be ignored. The opposition would love to paint him as out of touch. But by taking this leave now, with the economy showing green shoots and insecurity down, he’s effectively removing a potential attack line later. He’s addressing the “fatigue” question before it becomes a liability. By the time campaign season arrives, he’ll have had his rest, and the opposition will have to find something else to complain about.
I’m not saying the President is perfect. No leader is. But this particular decision—taking a few weeks off, with full transparency, while the country is in a relative calm, with daily briefings in place—is not a scandal. It’s common sense. We should stop pretending that a President must be seen suffering every day to be doing his job. Sometimes the most strategic thing a leader can do is step back, refuel, and come back sharper.
So, to the critics: take a breath. The country is not on autopilot. It’s on a brief pause while the pilot checks the gauges. And from where I’m standing, the gauges look better than they have in a long while. Let the man rest. He’s going to need the energy for 2027.