President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to address world leaders at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23, according to a provisional list of speakers.
Tinubu will speak as the 10th speaker during the morning session on the second day of the high-level General Debate, which runs from September 22 to 28 at UN headquarters. His address is expected between 11:30 a.m. and noon New York time, equivalent to 4:30 p.m. Nigerian time.
He will join representatives from the 193 UN member states, including more than 150 heads of state and government. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is set to open the debate on September 22, followed by United States President Donald Trump, in line with protocol.
The session, to be presided over by Bangladesh’s Khalilur Rahman, carries the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
Tinubu’s programme is expected to include high-level engagements and side events on climate action, sea-level rise, pandemic preparedness and other global issues. He is also expected to meet outgoing UN Secretary-General António Guterres, whose term ends on December 31, 2026, and may meet UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, confirmed the president’s attendance. “The president was able to give us his word. Now, he will come to UNGA this September,” Ibrahim said.
He added that Tinubu would use the occasion to engage international partners on border policing in West Africa, which he described as a major security challenge. “So, border policing will be fine. These are the kind of things that the UN is established for,” the ambassador said, noting that Nigeria was working with the UN on a regional border-policing initiative.
Ibrahim also indicated that Tinubu could meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the assembly.
The 81st session of the General Assembly opens on September 8.
