Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision not to attend the ongoing 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Ibrahim said it would not be necessary for Tinubu to travel to the United States simply to deliver a 15-minute address, particularly as many countries at the high-level session are being represented by vice presidents and foreign ministers.
Speaking on TVC’s Beyond the Headlines, Ibrahim said about 60 per cent of those on the speaking list were vice presidents or foreign affairs ministers representing their presidents.
“I don’t think that the President can come and be where his equivalent is a minister of Foreign Affairs of another country,” he said.
The Nigerian envoy also pointed to the diplomatic engagements taking place in New York, saying senior Nigerian officials were already holding meetings with representatives of countries including the United States, United Kingdom and Singapore.
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Ibrahim said Vice President Kashim Shettima, who is representing Tinubu, had been participating in high-level meetings and engagements on Nigeria’s behalf.
He also argued that Nigeria’s diplomatic standing at the UN had not been affected by the President’s absence, noting that the country retained its designated front-row position at the General Assembly.
“Must we have Tinubu here before we can make the impact?” Ibrahim asked, while pointing out that other world leaders had also not necessarily remained in the General Assembly chamber for their speaking slots.
The Federal Government had earlier confirmed that Shettima would lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st UNGA and deliver the country’s national statement. He is also scheduled to participate in high-level meetings and bilateral engagements with world leaders, international organisations and development partners.
Tinubu’s absence has generated public debate, with critics questioning why the President did not personally attend the annual gathering. The government has maintained that Nigeria is fully represented through the Vice President and other senior officials.
Ibrahim, who also chairs the UN Committee on Budget and Administration, said his assessment of the speaking schedule would not have led him to recommend that Tinubu travel to New York solely for a short speaking slot.
“If the speaking list is 90 percent President, of course, maybe the President can come,” he said. “But if the list is 60 percent ministers, I don’t think that the President can come.”
