- May be absent for third consecutive time
By Abiola Olawale
Latest information emerging on Sunday has revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may be set to skip the upcoming 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York, United States, for the third consecutive year.
The New Diplomat reports that this development is coming amidst earlier assurances from the Nigerian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim to the effect that President Tinubu would physically attend and participate in the General Debate of the 81st session of this year’s United Nations General Assembly.
Recall that Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim had said last month while addressing State House Correspondents that President Tinubu will sit ” very close” to United States President Donald Trump at the forthcoming UNGA slated to commence on September 8, with the General Debate which would feature Heads of State, holding from September 22nd to September 26, and Monday 28th, September, 2026.
Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim had assured: ” He (President Tinubu) has a speech to give to the whole world about his reform success in Nigeria, and that has been slated for September.”
However, the latest information indicating that Tinubu may have backpedaled on attending the UNGA 81st is coming against the background of his three-week working vacation in Europe. Diplomatic sources confirmed to The New Diplomat that Tinubu “is not likely to be attending the UNGA 81st” as there is no confirmation to that effect.
​The Presidency officially announced on Sunday that Tinubu has departed Abuja for a three-week annual leave, with London, United Kingdom, marked as his primary stop.
​The timing of the leave, coupled with other considerations, according to insiders who spoke with The New Diplomat, may be responsible for Tinubu’s decision to skip UNGA this year. Should this happen, it would be the third consecutive time he would be skipping UNGA.
​”The President has listened to alternative schedules and evaluated competing priorities. While the Permanent Mission did an exceptional job laying the groundwork for a robust outing in New York, current debelopments and official timelines mean he may not be making the physical trip this September,” an insider revealed under strict anonymity.
Tinubu is expected to join a line-up of 193 world leaders, including more than 150 heads of state and government, and more than 40 others, such as vice presidents, deputy prime ministers, ministers, and other senior government officials.
​However, while Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, had previously offered strong assurances that the President had “given his word” to attend the 81st Session in New York, the vacation has cast fresh doubts over whether the Nigerian leader will ultimately attend UNGA—sparking concerns that this would potentially be President Tinubu’s third consecutive absence from UNGA, a record that is unprecedented.
Recall that Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim had said President Tinubu’s participation at the 81st session of UNGA would provide an opportunity for Nigeria to showcase the reforms being implemented by his administration to the international community.
Provisional lineups have slotted Tinubu as the 10th speaker during the morning session (day 2, September 23) of the General Debate.
The Nigerian Permanent Mission in New York believes Tinubu’s attendance would be a prime opportunity to market Nigeria’s sweeping economic reforms and spearhead discussions on West African regional border policing.
​If Tinubu ultimately decides against traveling to New York, it will mark three years in a row that he would be skipping UNGA in New York, USA.
Tinubu made a debut at the 78th UNGA session in 2023, addressing world leaders directly.
However, since then, Vice-President Kashim Shettima has stepped in to deliver Nigeria’s national statements during the 79th and 80th sessions, maintaining diplomatic touchpoints while the President managed domestic affairs.
The New Diplomat also reports that the situation comes amid a high-stakes legal battle playing out in the United States federal court regarding allegations of Tinubu’s records prior to becoming President.
​Recall that Tinubu’s legal team filed formal interventions in a U.S. district court to block the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the DEA from releasing alleged sensitive historical files.
The records—tied to a transparency Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit and aggressively monitored by US-based political lobbying firms—revolve around decades-old reported civil forfeiture and alleged drug-trafficking inquiries.
