After weeks of speculation, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has confirmed that he will not be physically present at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States.
This is the third consecutive UNGA session that President Tinubu would be absent from since assuming office in 2023.
Jimoh Ibrahim, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, had earlier said Tinubu would attend the 81st UNGA, saying that provisions had been made for him to sit close to Donald Trump, his American counterpart.
However, in a statement on Sunday, Stanley Nkwocha, spokesman to the Vice President, announced that Tinubu had directed Shettima to lead the Nigerian delegation to the event.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has mandated Vice President Kashim Shettima to represent him and lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, in New York, United States.
“VP Shettima will lead a high-level delegation comprising Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State; Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State; ministers and other senior government officials.
“The 81st UNGA General Debate will be held from September 22 to 28, 2026, under the theme, “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
“At the General Debate, Senator Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement, outlining the country’s position and priorities on major global issues with implications for national development, peace and security, economic growth and international cooperation.
“The Vice President will also participate in high-level meetings during the UNGA week, including engagements on the Right to Development, climate action and other issues of strategic importance to Nigeria and the African continent,” the statement said.
Shettima is also expected to join other world leaders at the traditional reception for Heads of Delegation and participate in a series of bilateral meetings with leaders of other countries, international organisations and development partners on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
The engagements will provide Nigeria an opportunity to advance President Tinubu’s economic diplomacy, deepen strategic partnerships and strengthen the country’s voice on reform of the global financial architecture, sustainable development, climate finance and multilateral cooperation, it added.
Osita Okechukwu, a former DG of Voice of Nigeria and All Progressives Congress chieftain justified Tinubu’s absence, in an interview with Trust TV on Sunday, saying, “The framers of the Constitution are not idiots; the constitution that provided for the President also provided for the Vice President. They said If you don’t go, let your Vice President go.
“If you ask why he is not going, you look at the table of Mr President to know the priorities that he has. Like yesterday, he was negotiating projects in France. You don’t know the details or how far they have gone. These are investors.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, has dismissed concerns over President Tinubu’s absence from the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), insisting that Nigeria will retain its front-row seat and continue to play a full diplomatic role at the global gathering.
Ibrahim said Vice President Shettima would lead Nigeria’s delegation to the high-level session on behalf of President Tinubu, while the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and other senior government officials would participate in key engagements throughout the General Assembly.
In a statement issued by the Nigerian Mission to the United Nations in New York, the envoy explained that it is a common diplomatic practice for presidents to be represented by vice presidents or foreign ministers when they are unable to attend the annual gathering.
According to him, more than 60 per cent of world leaders scheduled to address the ongoing UNGA session are not attending in person.
Ibrahim also assured that Nigeria would maintain its designated seating arrangement at the Assembly, including its prominent front-row position.