The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, Ademola Osodi, has played down concerns over the President’s third consecutive absence from the United Nations General Assembly.
The Presidency had on Sunday announced that Tinubu 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.
The decision has attracted criticism from some quarters, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who has demanded an explanation from Tinubu over his absence from the gathering for a third straight year.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Osodi said the President’s absence would not affect Nigeria’s role internationally, noting that Tinubu is focused on domestic issues.
“Nigeria has a diverse interest in all regional groups, continental groups and even groups of the South-South like the BRICS. So, the United Nations is not the only group that we are member of, president Tinubu is focusing on issues of domestic concerns like economy, security and even on other issues on other international forums which I believed equally is important.
“With or without his presence there will not change Nigeria’s role as giant of Africa, the leader of the economic resurgence of Africa,” Osodi said.
The President’s aide also said Nigeria would be well represented at the UNGA with the presence of the country’s new Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim.
Osodi also dismissed suggestions that Tinubu had issues with the United States that were preventing him from travelling to the country, describing the claim as an “old chestnut.”
“I was with the President when he went to the United Nations, physically I was there, you saw it on social media. He went to the stock exchange, he rang the bell, he had meetings on the side. Even in more recent times, I think last year, we transited Los Angeles on our way to Japan for the Japanese Development Agency.
“We were in Los Angeles for few days before we flew to Yokohama, Japan. We were in America, I was there with them. So it is politics, we can talk about this every single election cycle, it is just politics,” Osodi said.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said Tinubu was absent from the 79th UNGA in 2024 and the 80th in 2025, with Shettima representing him on both occasions.
He said Shettima would again lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st session in 2026, arguing that the pattern could no longer be dismissed as routine delegation.
“The United Nations General Assembly is one of the world’s most important diplomatic gatherings. It brings together the representatives of the UN’s 193 member states and provides a unique platform for presidents and prime ministers to defend their countries’ interests, negotiate partnerships and shape global decisions on trade, security and development,” Atiku said.
He said while Shettima could represent Nigeria, repeated delegation could not substitute for the President’s personal authority and visibility at a major international diplomatic gathering.
Atiku also argued that UNGA provided opportunities for leaders to hold bilateral meetings, pursue investment and trade partnerships, mobilise development financing and engage on issues affecting their countries.
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