Tinubu to travel to Makkah on Thursday to pray for Nigeria

President Bola Tinubu will leave Abuja on Thursday for Makkah in Saudi Arabia, where he will perform Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage that Muslims can undertake at any time of the year.

The trip was announced on Wednesday in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, and dated October 28, 2026. According to the statement, the President will use the visit to pray for peace, unity, stability and progress in Nigeria.

Umrah differs from the Hajj, which is performed only at a set time in the Islamic calendar. Leadership newspaper noted this distinction in its report on the trip.

Onanuga said that while in the holy city, Tinubu will carry out the rites that go with the pilgrimage and ask for Allah's guidance and blessings for the country and its people.

Air Force equipment to be commissioned first

Before boarding his flight, the President is expected to commission some equipment bought by the Nigerian Air Force for its operations. The ceremony will hold at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The statement did not say what kind of equipment was purchased or how much it cost.

Tinubu is expected back in the country next week once he completes the spiritual exercise, according to the statement.

For many Nigerians, a presidential trip abroad is mostly a question of cost and timing. The statement gave no details on the size of the delegation or the expense of the journey, and no such figures appeared in the reports reviewed.

What happens next

The President travels on Thursday. According to the statement, he is expected back in Nigeria next week after completing the spiritual exercise.