In the just-concluded week, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu once again demonstrated that leadership is neither about comfort nor convenience but about focus, resolve, and sacrifice. The President’s itinerary underscored this reality. His week began en route Brasília, Brazil, after a brief stopover in Los Angeles, where he connected from Japan following the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9). His Brazilian host, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had extended a formal invitation for a state visit.
Arriving in Brasília on Monday morning, Tinubu was accorded full honours: a regal reception at the Brasília Air Base and a guard of honour at the Palácio do Planalto. Yet, beyond the pomp and ceremony, the trip was another purposeful stride in his campaign to restore Nigeria’s global stature and secure tangible dividends of development. True to form, the President wasted no time. From Monday to Wednesday, his schedule brimmed with high-level meetings, bilateral negotiations, and engagements with both state institutions and the private sector. No breaks, no indulgences—just the grind of a leader determined to convert goodwill into gains.
Last week’s Brazil visit, much like his earlier engagements in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, has been met with skepticism from predictable quarters: opposition politicians, cynical commentators, and a few irredeemable irredentists who prefer to see Nigeria stumble rather than succeed under Tinubu. Their claim—that these foreign engagements are a wasteful indulgence—is not only dishonest but also dangerous in its attempt to mislead the unwary. Fortunately, the President himself, through his own words, has set the record straight.
Tinubu’s three-day outing in Brazil was not an exercise in empty diplomacy. The visit produced concrete outcomes that will directly impact Nigeria’s economy, security, and global standing. Central among these was the signing of five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), spanning aviation, trade, diplomacy, science, and finance.
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At a joint press conference with President Lula, Tinubu welcomed the imminent return of Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned oil giant, which had exited Nigeria five years ago. In his own words: “We have the largest gas repository. So I don’t see why Petrobras doesn’t join as a partner in Nigeria as soon as possible. I appreciate President Lula’s promise that this will be done as soon as possible.”
This was not mere rhetoric. Petrobras’ return signifies renewed investment in Nigeria’s energy sector, with implications for jobs, revenue, and technology transfer. Alongside this, the two nations sealed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement, enabling Nigeria’s Air Peace to commence direct flights between Lagos and São Paulo—a move that will ease travel, stimulate tourism, and boost trade.
Agreements were also reached on scientific and technological cooperation, diplomatic training, and trade financing, including a pact between Nigeria’s Bank of Agriculture and Brazil’s BNDES. These measures open doors to collaborative research, joint industrial projects, and expanded agricultural financing—all pillars of Nigeria’s economic renewal agenda.
For President Tinubu, such outcomes reinforce his message that Nigeria is not embarking on these trips for photo opportunities, but for pragmatic, results-oriented engagement.
Another highlight of the visit was Tinubu’s meeting with the leadership of Nigeria’s capital market institutions—the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)—who joined him in Brasília. Addressing them, he lauded the rapid growth of Nigeria’s capital market since his assumption of office, attributing it to reforms under his administration.
“Nigeria’s markets must be a trusted engine of enterprise and prosperity. My government will continue to pursue reforms that unlock capital, protect investors, and drive innovation, so that our economy works for every Nigerian,” he said.
In spotlighting these achievements on foreign soil, Tinubu sent a clear signal to Brazilian investors: Nigeria’s economy is open for business, structured for growth, and anchored on transparency. The message was unmistakable—Nigeria is no longer a playground for rent-seekers but a competitive investment hub.
Beyond energy and finance, Tinubu used his time in Brazil to reinforce his administration’s commitment to food security and technology-driven growth. Addressing Nigerians in the Diaspora, he declared: “We must bring Nigeria to the forefront of Africa’s progress, driven by technology, food sovereignty, and the courage to change our destiny.”
In drawing a parallel between Nigeria and Brazil, he reminded his audience that both countries once shared similar economic starting points. Today, Brazil is a global powerhouse in agribusiness and technology, boasting a cattle herd larger than its population. Tinubu challenged Nigerians to emulate that trajectory, insisting that Nigeria has the brains, the energy, and the youth to replicate Brazil’s success.
He also appealed to the Diaspora community to invest their skills, capital, and networks in Nigeria’s ongoing transformation. “You are the pride of our nation. Your diversity, your commitment—it reflects the Nigeria we are working to build. I salute you all,” he said.
Perhaps the most significant part of the week was not the ceremonies or even the agreements signed, but the President’s personal reflections, which he shared directly with Nigerians on his verified X handle, @officialABAT. These communications offered unfiltered insight into his motivation and underscored the sincerity behind his foreign engagements.
Upon returning home, Tinubu wrote: “It feels good to be back home in Nigeria after our recent engagements in Japan and Brazil. In 2023, you entrusted me with the responsibility of restoring our pride and dignity on the global stage, and I remain fully committed to that mission. Every handshake, every agreement, and every meeting is guided by one goal: to secure opportunities that translate into growth, jobs, and prosperity for Nigerians.”
He was unequivocal: his trips are not junkets, but deliberate steps to create opportunities for Nigerians. Japan opened doors in industry, technology, and human capital development. Brazil offered partnerships in trade, agriculture, aviation, and finance. In both, Nigerian business leaders who accompanied him gained fresh confidence in the direction of the economy.
In another post, Tinubu tied these international ventures to domestic reforms, specifically highlighting his decision to suspend the export of raw shea nuts. Calling shea Nigeria’s “green wealth,” he lamented that despite producing nearly 40 percent of global supply, Nigeria captures less than one percent of the $6.5 billion global market.
“That imbalance ends now,” he wrote. “I have approved a six-month suspension of raw shea exports… to secure supply for local processors, create jobs, and protect a value chain where 95 percent of pickers are women. This is a win for our farmers, for our women, and for Nigeria.”
The significance of this move is amplified by the fact that new market access in Brazil and beyond is already opening for Nigerian products as Tinubu declared: “We will no longer export poverty and import value. We will create value at home, compete abroad, and deliver prosperity under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
These are not the words of a leader seeking leisure abroad. They are the commitments of a reformer who is sacrificing personal comfort to restore dignity and opportunity for his people.
It is important to, again, stress the human dimension of these engagements. For a septuagenarian President, there is nothing leisurely about flying across multiple time zones in the space of a week, shuttling from Tokyo to Los Angeles to Brasília, with back-to-back meetings, negotiations, and ceremonies. As this column has previously highlighted, these trips exert a real toll on the President’s health and comfort. Yet, he undertakes them, because the stakes are too high for Nigeria to sit idly at home.
Contrast this with the portrayal of his critics, who peddle the narrative of wastefulness. Their position collapses under the weight of evidence. Each trip has produced agreements, investments, and partnerships. Each handshake has been about jobs and growth. Each bilateral has advanced Nigeria’s long-term interest.
Tinubu himself has acknowledged the pains of reform, likening them to “bitter medicine”. But he has also reassured Nigerians that these sacrifices will yield stability, prosperity, and pride. His foreign trips are part of that medicine—uncomfortable, but necessary.
The week in Brazil was a microcosm of Tinubu’s larger vision: a Nigeria restored to dignity on the world stage, confident in its reforms at home, and determined to create value for its citizens. The five MoUs signed, the return of Petrobras, the new aviation link, the pledges on food security and technology, the capital market confidence—all these are tangible outcomes. They speak louder than the noise of cynics who would prefer stagnation.
President Tinubu’s own words offer the final rebuttal: “Every handshake, every agreement, and every meeting is guided by one goal: to secure opportunities that translate into growth, jobs, and prosperity for Nigerians”.
No clearer message can be sent. Nigeria is not exporting poverty and importing value anymore. Nigeria is creating value at home, competing abroad, and building prosperity under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
In dismissing the distractions of political opponents, Nigerians must now embrace the vision. The journey is tough, but the destination is worth it. The week in Brazil has only reaffirmed that President Tinubu is not traveling for leisure—he is traveling for Nigeria’s future.
Tinubu Abroad, Yet Present at Home
Though the President spent much of last week in Brasília pursuing high-level diplomatic and economic engagements with his Brazilian counterpart, the imprint of his leadership remained firmly felt at home. Through official statements, decisive directives, and heartfelt messages, the President demonstrated that governance under his watch does not pause with his travels.
On Tuesday, even while immersed in bilateral talks in Brazil, Tinubu’s presence in Nigeria was registered in multiple ways. He congratulated Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong on his 40th birthday, commending the young lawmaker’s legislative drive and contribution to national development. That same day, he also celebrated Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, on his election as Vice President (Africa) of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), a global body representing seaports. Tinubu described the recognition as a testament to Nigeria’s growing influence in the maritime sector.
On the same Tuesday, tragedy struck with the Abuja–Kaduna train derailment. From Brazil, Tinubu promptly expressed sadness, extended prayers to victims, and assured Nigerians of swift remedial action and long-term safety measures for the rail system.
By Thursday, the President was again on hand to felicitate elder statesman Dr. Goke Adegoroye
at 75, hailing his intellectual contributions and pioneering reforms in public service and on Friday, he congratulated Engineer Olayinka Hakeem Babalola, a Nigerian who just go elected as the President of Rotary International for the 2026/2027 calendar.
The week underscored a consistent truth: wherever Tinubu is in the world, Nigeria is never far from his mind.