President Bola Tinubu will attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), set to begin in New York this September.
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, disclosed this on Wednesday after meeting with the president at the State House.
According to Ibrahim, Tinubu has officially confirmed his participation in the annual global gathering of world leaders. He explained that the meeting with the president also focused on presenting the proposed budget for Nigeria’s participation in this year’s UNGA.
Beyond addressing the General Assembly, the Nigerian leader is expected to take part in several high-level side events, including discussions on energy, education and hospital management.
“The president was able to give us his word. Now he will come to UNGA this September,” he said.
The envoy said Tinubu’s participation will provide an opportunity for Nigeria to showcase the reforms being implemented by his administration to the international community.
Tinubu attended the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in person, while Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented him at the 79th and 80th sessions.
Ibrahim added that the president will also use the UN platform to engage stakeholders on border policing in West Africa, describing the region’s porous borders as a “major security challenge”.
“So, border policing will be fine. These are the kind of things that the UN is established for,” he said.
He said the federal government is collaborating with the UN on a regional border policing initiative and would seek broader international support for the effort during the assembly.
The permanent representative also said there could be a meeting between Tinubu and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the event.
According to him, the Nigerian president is expected to sit in the front row and deliver his address to the General Assembly at about 10:45 am New York time.
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly will open on September 8, while the general debate is scheduled to hold from September 22 to 28, 2026.
The annual gathering will bring together heads of state, government leaders and ministers to deliberate on global issues, including climate change, sustainable development, international peace and security.
The session will be presided over by a representative of the Asia-Pacific Group under the UN’s regional rotation arrangement.
