President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to address the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) General Debate on September 23 in New York, where he will speak as the 10th speaker during the morning session on the second day of the high-level debate.
Tinubu is expected to speak between 11:30am and noon New York time, corresponding to 4:30pm Nigerian time. He will join representatives of all 193 UN member states, including more than 150 heads of state and government, at the week-long debate scheduled for September 22 to 28.
The UNGA 81 theme is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.” The session will be presided over by Bangladesh’s Khalilur Rahman, with Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opening the debate, followed by United States President Donald Trump.
During the assembly, Tinubu is expected to participate in several high-level meetings, side events and summits focusing on issues including climate action, sea-level rise and pandemic preparedness. He is also scheduled to meet outgoing UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Nigeria’s Amina Mohammed, whose tenure as UN Deputy Secretary-General ends alongside Guterres’ term.
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, confirmed Tinubu’s attendance and said the visit would give Nigeria an opportunity to showcase the reforms of his administration. Tinubu is also expected to use the platform to seek international support for a regional border-policing initiative aimed at tackling West Africa’s porous borders and related security challenges.
Ibrahim also disclosed that Tinubu could meet U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the assembly. Tinubu attended the 78th UNGA in person in 2023, while Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the 79th and 80th sessions in 2024 and 2025.
The 81st UN General Assembly session officially opens on September 8, while the high-level General Debate runs from September 22 to 28. The annual gathering brings world leaders together to deliberate on major global concerns, including climate change, sustainable development, international peace and security.
