August 18, (THEWILL) – President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja, the nation’s capital on Monday, August 19, for France.
His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this in a press statement on Sunday night.
The President’s trip to France is coming at a time when a French court ordered the seizure of three Nigerian presidential jets following a dispute between a Chinese company and the Ogun State Government.
THEWILL had reported ex parte orders issued by the Judicial Court of Paris on March 7 and August 12, 2024, that authorised the seizure of the three presidential jets undergoing routine maintenance in France and Switzerland. The seized aircraft include a Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737 and a newly acquired Airbus A330 valued at over $100 million.
These orders were obtained by Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, seeking to enforce an arbitral award of $74.5 million granted in its favour in 2021 against Ogun State.
On Friday, Zhongshan released one of the three Nigerian aircraft, an Airbus A330.
Spokesperson of the firm said the release of the Airbus A330 aircraft was a gesture of goodwill, acknowledging that Nigerian President Tinubu requires the aircraft for a scheduled meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Ngalele said the President will return to Nigeria after his brief work stay in France.
