President Tinubu set to address World leaders at UNGA 81

President Bola Tinubu will be attending the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which is to begin its proceedings in New York in September.

According to Jimoh Ibrahim, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, who briefed State House correspondents on Wednesday following a discussion with President Tinubu, the latter has accepted an invitation to attend the upcoming UNGA.

The envoy, who had just proposed Nigeria’s budget for participation in this year’s UNGA, further said that Tinubu will be participating in some sideline activities such as 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 added that the federal government was working in collaboration with the UN to ensure regional border policing and would seek wider international support for the project at the assembly.

The Permanent Representative also indicated that there might be an encounter between President Tinubu and US President Donald Trump on the sideline of the conference.

According to him, the Nigerian president will be seated in the front row and give his speech to the General Assembly around 10:45 am New York time.

The 81st Session of the UN General Assembly will start on September 8, while the general debate will take place from September 22 to 28, 2026.

The annual forum will gather Heads of State, Government Leaders, and Ministers to discuss global issues such as climate change, sustainable development, international peace, and security.

The session will be chaired by a representative of the Asia Pacific Group as per the regional rotation policy of the UN.