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The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, Ademola Osodi, has explained that the President’s decision to stay away from the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is linked to his focus on domestic priorities and other international engagements.
Osodi made the clarification while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, following the Presidency’s announcement that Vice President Kashim Shettima would represent Tinubu and lead Nigeria’s delegation to the UNGA in New York.
According to the presidential aide, Tinubu’s absence from the annual gathering should not be interpreted as a reduction in Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement or international standing.
“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,” Osodi said.
He added that Tinubu was currently concentrating on issues at home, including the economy and security, while also participating in other international engagements considered important to Nigeria.
“President Tinubu is focusing on issues of domestic concerns like economy, security and even on other issues on other international forums which I believe equally is important,” he said.
Osodi maintained that Nigeria’s position and influence would not be diminished because the President would not personally attend the UNGA.
“With or without his presence there will not change Nigeria’s role as giant of Africa, the leader of the economic resurgence of Africa,” he said.
The aide also pointed out that Nigeria would have senior representation at the gathering, including the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim.
The Presidency had earlier announced that Shettima would head Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st UNGA, which is scheduled to hold in New York from September 22 to 28, 2026.
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Osodi also rejected suggestions that Tinubu’s repeated absence from the UNGA was connected to difficulties between the Nigerian President and the United States.
He described the claim as an “old chestnut” and recalled Tinubu’s previous visits to the US.
“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,” Osodi said.
He further recalled that Tinubu travelled through Los Angeles while on his way to Japan for an engagement with 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,” he said.
Tinubu’s absence has nevertheless drawn criticism, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar demanding an explanation for the President’s decision not to attend the UNGA for the third consecutive year.
Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, argued that although Shettima could represent Nigeria, repeated delegation could not replace the visibility and authority of the President at a major diplomatic gathering.
The former vice president also questioned reports that arrangements had been made for Tinubu to sit near US President Donald Trump during the gathering.
Osodi, however, maintained that Tinubu’s absence should not be interpreted as evidence of strained relations between Nigeria and the United States.
