President Bola Tinubu will mount the global stage on Wednesday, September 23, when he addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York.
The Nigerian leader is scheduled as the 10th speaker during the morning session on day two of the high-level General Debate, which runs from September 22 to 28 at UN headquarters. He is expected to speak between 11:30am and noon New York time (4:30pm Nigerian time).
Tinubu will join a line-up of 193 world leaders, including more than 150 heads of state and government, alongside vice presidents, deputy prime ministers, ministers and other senior officials.
As tradition dictates, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will open the debate on September 22, followed by host-country President Donald Trump.
This year’s session, presided over by Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh, carries the theme: “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
Busy Schedule of High-Level Engagements
The week-long gathering will be a busy outing for Tinubu, who is expected to participate in several high-level meetings, side events and major summits on climate action, sea-level rise and pandemic preparedness.
He is also scheduled for a bilateral meeting with outgoing UN Secretary-General António Guterres, whose two-term tenure concludes on December 31, 2026, and is expected to engage with Nigeria’s outgoing Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, who has held the most senior UN post by an African since 2017.
Sources, however, cautioned that speaking slots remain subject to adjustments depending on attendance. Nigeria has historically enjoyed prominent positioning on either the first or second day of the debate.
Return to UNGA After Two-Year Absence
Tinubu attended the 78th session in person in 2023, while Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented him at the 79th and 80th sessions in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Shettima retained Nigeria’s day-one speaking slots on both occasions, a feat credited to diplomatic manoeuvring by the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN.
Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, confirmed Tinubu’s attendance, stating: “The president was able to give us his word. Now, he will come to UNGA this September.”
The envoy said Tinubu’s participation would afford Nigeria the opportunity to showcase his administration’s reforms to the international community. He added that the President would also leverage 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,” Jimoh said.
He revealed that the federal government was collaborating with the UN on a regional border policing initiative and would seek broader international support during the assembly.
The ambassador also indicated that a meeting between Tinubu and President Trump could take place on the sidelines of the event.
The 81st session opens on September 8, with the General Debate scheduled for September 22–28. The annual gathering convenes heads of state, government leaders and senior officials to deliberate on climate change, sustainable development, and international peace and security.