Shettima to Lead Nigeria’s Delegation to 81st UN General Assembly

Vice President Kashim Shettima will represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The Federal Government, in a statement, said Shettima has been mandated by the President to deliver Nigeria’s national statement and participate in high-level meetings and bilateral engagements with world leaders, international organisations and development partners.

According to the government, the Vice President will represent the full mandate of the President and the Federal Republic of Nigeria throughout the high-level session.

It said Nigeria’s priorities at the General Assembly would include peace and security, economic development, climate action, reform of the global financial architecture, sustainable development and international cooperation.

The government also clarified that President Tinubu is currently on annual leave, describing his decision to delegate the Vice President to lead the Nigerian delegation as neither unusual nor a reduction in the country’s diplomatic standing.

The clarification followed recent public commentary by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and a United States-based lobbying organisation retained by him regarding President Tinubu’s absence from the UN General Assembly.

The Federal Government said political opposition and public debate were legitimate features of democracy, but urged political actors and the media to distinguish between verified information, political opinion and what it described as unsubstantiated speculation.

It also reaffirmed Nigeria’s longstanding relationship with the United States, particularly in the areas of trade and investment, security cooperation, energy, democratic institutions, regional stability and people-to-people relations.

The government maintained that Nigeria’s diplomatic engagements would continue through established governmental and diplomatic channels, while the country’s interests would be advanced throughout the UN General Assembly.