Tinubu’s inauguration, good example for democracy – France

The successful transition of power from former President Muhammadu Buhari to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been described as a good example of democracy.

Tinubu, the 16th president of Nigeria, was sworn in on Monday, becoming the fifth person to lead the country since the return of democracy in 1999.

France Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, in an interview in Lagos, yesterday, lauded the successful transfer of power from one leader to another.

The minister who represented France president, Emmanuel Macron, at Tinubu’s inauguration, said the European country respects the sovereignty of Nigeria. 

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“France respects the democracy and sovereignty of each country. It is not our duty to tell countries what to do. We are not here to give lessons to anybody. And I think each country has its own pathway to democracy with different histories. As someone who has visited and worked with African countries, I was very happy with the inauguration of Tinubu, the transition of power from one administration to another. It was a big example of democracy,” she said.

While noting that Nigeria is France’s first trading partner in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a trade exchange of 4.2 billion euros in 2022 alone, she said President Macron is willing to work with President Tinubu to strengthen the ties between the two countries.

Zacharopoulou, who said France will continue to support Nigeria and its neighbouring countries in tackling insecurity and other regional challenges, stressed that the French Development Agency (AFD) has committed almost 3 billion euros to the development of Nigeria since 2010.