Where on Earth is President Tinubu?

By Biliyaminu Suraj
biliyasuraj1980@yahoo.com

Do you remember the video game Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? It was released in 1985 and provided a series of clues to help you find Carmen as she travelled to world. It was similar to the earlier American television series, Lost in Space, following the adventures of a family of space colonists whose ship veers off course. Well, there’s a new adventure-detective game, especially for Nigerian audiences … Where on Earth is President Tinubu?

President Tinubu departed Abuja on 30 August 2026 for a three-week working vacation in Europe. His first stop was London, but where in London?
He arrived in Paris on 13 September 2026 from London and had a private dinner with President Emmanuel Macron on 17 September 2026 followed by a meeting with Vincent Bolloré on 18 September 2026.

On 21 September, the Presidency announced a short extension of the trip. The extension occurred while Vice President Kashim Shettima was also abroad, standing in for President Tinubu who decided not to attend the UN General Assembly but rather continue his holiday abroad. The episode has generated constitutional debate and political scrutiny, particularly regarding compliance with Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution.

President Tinubu did not transmit a vacation letter to the National Assembly. His absence exceeded 21 days, the threshold at which the legislature may empower the Vice President as Acting President. With both top executives outside the country, concerns emerged about continuity of government and the optics of a potential constitutional vacuum. The Presidency maintained that Tinubu continued to direct government remotely while on holidays in Europe, emphasising that physical location does not impede executive authority.

The extension appears calibrated to prevent the National Assembly from invoking Section 145(2). Elevating Shettima to Acting President could be politically sensitive and may signal internal fragility during a pre-election period. Tinubu issued directives from Europe — notably ordering an investigation into the deaths of 37 detained illegal miners — to reinforce the message that governance remained active and centralised. Engagements in Paris, including a private dinner with President Emmanuel Macron and a meeting with Vincent Bolloré, provided diplomatic legitimacy for the extended stay and allowed the Presidency to frame the trip as productive statecraft.

But was this a convenient excuse to avoid the UN General Assembly where human rights groups would likely protest at the deaths of 37 youths in custody of the Federal Government of Nigeria? If President Tinubu had attended UNGA he would have faced international press questions, not just Nigerian media, about these shocking deaths. UNGA corridors are unpredictable — journalists can ask about human rights, security abuses, and custodial deaths without pre-screening. These are topics UN journalists routinely raise.

Vice President Kashim Shettima’s address at the UNGA highlighted Nigeria’s commitment to addressing the exploitation of Africa’s mineral wealth.

He emphasized the need for African nations to unite and halt the export of raw materials, advocating for local processing, manufacturing, and value addition. But the elephant in the room was the shocking deaths of 37 Nigerian youths held in custody for artisanal mining.

The custodial deaths reflected state failure and security sector negligence. Significantly, the operation was conducted by a joint security task force including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The NSCDC often participates in such multi-agency anti-mining operations. The NSCDC’s Mining Marshals are the enforcement agents of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.

The NSCDC arrested and paraded 24 government personnel linked to the deaths in custody and suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant. But who gave the orders to clear the mining field? Why the sudden move to clear an area where local people had been quietly scratching out a modest existence for many years? Yes, these local miners were unlicenced because, like most local Nigerian miners, they could not afford the exorbitant increases in fees levied by Minister Alake.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, has called for a thorough, transparent and independent investigation into the deaths of 37 artisanal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Niger State. In January 2025 he claimed retired military generals are behind illegal mining across the country. “The ongoing illegal mining across the country is being carried out by retired generals and we know them. Yes, we know them.” He cited reports from a retired general who personally witnessed foreigners extracting Nigeria’s solid minerals with the help of some retired generals.

He alleged criminal groups operating around mining sites have been weaponised by powerful sponsors to protect mining activities and the foreign nationals employed to carry them out. He said some of the weapons allegedly deployed to secure mining operations are later used in other criminal activities. The Senator accused Chinese nationals of illegally extracting Nigeria’s mineral resources and arming bandits and terrorists who guard mining sites rich in gold, lithium and other valuable minerals.

Senator Oshiomhole claimed the operations involve the use of arms and helicopters to extract gold and move it out of Nigeria, generating billions of dollars while depriving the country of revenue from its natural resources. He has previously said security reports have linked the spread of arms in the North-West and North-Central to mining cartels that supply weapons to bandits in exchange for protection of mineral-rich areas. ‎According to the Senator, these armed groups function as private militias for foreign operators, giving them unfettered access to mining corridors while communities suffer violence, displacement and environmental damage.

In response the NSCDC has disclosed that its Mining Marshals have arrested over 600 suspected illegal miners, recovered more than 100 illegal mining sites and commenced prosecution of over 500 suspects since the specialised unit was established in March 2024. However, invariably those arrested are the poor individual miners who are scratching out a day-to-day existence, like the 37 who died in NSCDC custody. None of the cartel leaders or retired military generals have been arrested.

Former Vice President Atiku argues that 37 Nigerian youths were taken into Federal Government custody alive and left as corpses. He directly places responsibility on President Tinubu, the Minister of Interior supervising NSCDC and the Minister of Solid Minerals overseeing mining enforcement, Dele Alake.

The Mining Marshals were formally launched by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, with operational creation and deployment carried out by the NSCDC Commandant-General. This policy direction came from the Federal Government and the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
The Minister for Solid Minerals has remained invisible during this outrageous and heinous deaths in custody. Where is Minister Alake? He has been in New York chairing a meeting of the Africa Mining Strategy Group on the sidelines of the UNGA. This meeting was to be chaired by President Tinubu who withdrew at the last moment in favour of continuing his holiday abroad leaving Alake to explain these shocking deaths to his fellow Mining Ministers from various African nations.

Biliyaminu Suraj is a public affairs commentator and mining entrepreneur.