Shettima makes an early return to Abuja after two-week leave, resuming duties two days before his scheduled August 20 return
Vice President Kashim Shettima returned to Abuja on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, two days ahead of his scheduled return from a two-week leave, with officials confirming that the Vice President had resumed duties.
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Shettima’s early return came after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the Vice President’s first official leave since the administration took office in May 2023.
The leave began on August 6 and was initially expected to end on August 20.
A senior official familiar with Shettima’s movements confirmed his arrival in Abuja on Tuesday evening.
“He returned yesterday evening,” the official said.
An aide separately confirmed that the Vice President had resumed, saying, “We were expecting him since yesterday. He has resumed.”
Despite returning to Abuja, Shettima was not present at Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House, where President Tinubu presided over the session.
His return also coincides with the formal commencement of campaigns for the 2027 general elections.
The timing has attracted attention because of the political significance of the new electoral cycle, although there is no official indication that Shettima’s early return was specifically connected to campaign activities.
The Vice President’s leave was announced on August 6 as a period for study, reflection and intellectual renewal.
Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, said the break was intended to strengthen Shettima’s capacity for continued national service.
“During the period, the Vice President will devote time to study, reflection and intellectual renewal as part of efforts to strengthen his capacity for continued service to the nation,” Nkwocha said in the statement announcing the leave.
The Presidency said the period would also allow Shettima to review ongoing government programmes, consider emerging national and international policy issues and prepare for the next phase of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The leave was particularly notable because it was Shettima’s first formal break since he was sworn in alongside Tinubu on May 29, 2023.
Before the break, the Vice President had remained involved in a broad range of domestic and international responsibilities.
Among his principal responsibilities is chairing the National Economic Council, which brings together the governors of Nigeria’s 36 states, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and other senior officials to deliberate on economic policy and issues affecting citizens.
Shettima has also represented Tinubu at major regional and international engagements.
In July, for example, he represented the President at the 69th Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
His official responsibilities have covered economic development, food security, humanitarian affairs, digital transformation, job creation and regional cooperation, according to the Presidency.
The decision to return before the scheduled end of the leave therefore places Shettima back in the centre of government activity at a consequential moment, even though his absence from the Federal Executive Council meeting means his full public schedule has yet to become clear.
For now, the Presidency has not publicly given a reason for the two-day adjustment to Shettima’s original return timetable.
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The stated purpose of the leave remains study, reflection and preparation for the next phase of government business.
