Tinubu, Macron Meet for Private Dinner in Paris as Nigeria-France Ties Take Centre Stage

President Bola Tinubu has met French President Emmanuel Macron for a private dinner at the Élysée Palace in Paris as Nigeria and France continue efforts to deepen their bilateral relationship.

The meeting took place on Thursday, September 17, 2026, and was disclosed on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.

Photographs released from the dinner showed Tinubu with Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, at the French presidential palace.

Onanuga said the meeting reflected the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and France and the commitment of both countries to strengthening bilateral cooperation.

No detailed account of the issues discussed during the private dinner was made public in the initial disclosure. The meeting comes against the background of expanding diplomatic and economic relations between Nigeria and France.

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France’s foreign ministry says political ties between both countries have developed considerably since 2014, with cooperation spanning economic and cultural interests.

For Nigeria, France remains an important European partner, particularly in trade, investment, security and diplomatic engagement.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the private dinner also came a day after Nigeria secured a major development in the long-running Mambilla power arbitration dispute in Paris, where an International Chamber of Commerce tribunal ruled in Nigeria’s favour in the $2.35 billion case involving Sunrise Power.

The Tinubu-Macron meeting therefore places the Nigerian President in Paris amid a series of important diplomatic and legal developments involving Nigeria.

The Presidency has not indicated whether the two leaders reached any new agreement at the private dinner.

The meeting nevertheless provides another high-level contact between the two countries as Nigeria continues to engage France on areas of mutual interest, ValidViewNetwork reports.