President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Skips UNGA Again as Questions Mount Over His Absence
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, with Vice President Kashim Shettima set to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the global gathering.
The decision marks Tinubu’s third consecutive absence from the UNGA since he assumed office in 2023, after he also stayed away from the 79th and 80th sessions in 2024 and 2025.
The development came after weeks of uncertainty over whether the President would attend.
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, had earlier indicated that Tinubu would be present and said arrangements had been made for him to occupy a prominent position at the Assembly.
However, in a statement on Sunday, the President’s spokesman for the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, announced that Tinubu had directed Shettima to represent him and lead the Nigerian delegation.
The delegation includes Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, ministers and other senior government officials.
Shettima is expected to deliver Nigeria’s national statement and participate in high-level meetings on development, climate action, international cooperation and other issues affecting Nigeria and Africa.
He will also hold bilateral meetings with foreign leaders, international organisations and development partners as Nigeria seeks to advance its economic diplomacy and attract strategic partnerships.
Ibrahim has defended Tinubu’s absence, saying Nigeria would remain fully engaged at the General Assembly.
He noted that it was not unusual for presidents to be represented by vice presidents or foreign ministers when they could not attend personally.
He also dismissed concerns about Nigeria losing its prominence at the Assembly, assuring that the country would retain its designated front-row position.
But the President’s absence has renewed debate over his decision to stay away from the gathering for three consecutive years.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar questioned the repeated absence, saying UNGA provides world leaders with an important platform to pursue investments, negotiate partnerships and advance their countries’ interests.
Atiku also raised questions over whether controversies surrounding Tinubu’s history in the United States could be connected to his decision not to attend.
Foreign policy experts, however, have offered differing explanations.
Dr Riyauddeen Zubairu Maitama of Bayero University, Kano, expressed concern that the President’s repeated absence could reduce Nigeria’s visibility during important diplomatic engagements. He argued that direct participation by the Nigerian leader could carry greater weight during bilateral negotiations.
Career diplomat Ambassador Suleiman Dahiru also suggested that issues involving the United States could be a factor, while criticising what he described as weaknesses in Nigeria’s foreign policy engagement.
But Dr Wasiu Kewulere of Kwara State University said the decision might reflect diplomatic calculations that are not publicly known.
Kewulere argued that a president’s physical attendance at UNGA should not alone determine a country’s international influence, pointing instead to economic strength, military capability and Nigeria’s broader role in global affairs.
For now, Shettima will represent Nigeria at the 81st UN General Assembly as world leaders gather in New York.
But with Tinubu now absent for the third consecutive year, questions over the reason for his continued non-attendance are unlikely to disappear.
