President Bola Tinubu on Monday hosted billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, at a private dinner in Paris, France, amid the President’s extended stay in Europe.

Otedola disclosed the meeting in a post on his X account on Tuesday, accompanied by a photograph of him with Tinubu.

The businessman expressed support for the President’s economic policies, highlighting what he described as gains from the administration’s reforms.

He cited the inclusion of Nigerian companies in the FTSE Russell Frontier 50 Index, the performance of the Nigerian Exchange, increased foreign direct investment and what he described as renewed confidence in the Nigerian economy.

Otedola also pointed to a more unified foreign exchange market and the country’s foreign reserves, which he said stood at about $55 billion.

He expressed pride in Tinubu and his administration’s economic direction.

The meeting came amid continued attention to Tinubu’s prolonged stay in Europe and his absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for London for what the Presidency initially described as a three-week working vacation before travelling to Paris, where he also met French President Emmanuel Macron and French businessman Vincent Bolloré.

The Presidency subsequently announced an extension of the vacation by a few days, before confirming that Tinubu would return to Nigeria on Tuesday, September 29, ahead of Independence Day activities on October 1.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the UN General Assembly, where he delivered the country’s national statement.

Tinubu’s prolonged absence from Nigeria and the decision not to attend the UN gathering have drawn criticism from opposition groups and other Nigerians.

The African Action Congress has also filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging aspects of the President’s absence from the country and the constitutional procedure relating to the transfer of presidential functions.

The Presidency has maintained that Tinubu remained in touch with developments in Nigeria and continued to direct the affairs of the country while abroad.