Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, has explained why President Bola Tinubu is not attending the ongoing 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Ibrahim said it would not be necessary for Tinubu to travel to New York simply to deliver a 15-minute speech, particularly when many countries are being represented by vice presidents and foreign affairs ministers.
Tinubu is currently in Paris on an extended vacation, while Vice President Kashim Shettima is representing Nigeria at the UNGA.
Speaking on TVC’s Beyond Headlines, Ibrahim said he had held meetings with several foreign ambassadors who were in New York and questioned what additional purpose Tinubu’s physical presence would serve.
“I had a meeting with the Ambassador of the US to the United Nations and I also has another Ambassador that came to my office here, the British Ambassador has been with me here, that of Singapore has been here. What do you think that Tinubu is coming to do?
“Presidents are allowed in the UN under 15 minutes. Is that the reason why he (Tinubu) should board a flight and be here for 15 minutes? Vice President Shettima has been attending high-level meetings which is country-to-country provided that it’s on neutral ground.
“I have also said by way of advise that we can’t go to some embassies to go and have meetings, we can’t take our President to another embassy to have meetings if that embassy is not having meeting in Nigeria House.
“Yes Vice President Shettima was in Nigeria House and the diaspora spoke with him. This is the kind of thing that we want and not that the President will jump into a plane and be coming to UNGA for a 15 minute speech. What is the meaning of that?”
Ibrahim also pointed to Nigeria’s seating position at the General Assembly, saying the country was positioned on the front row and had maintained a visible presence at the event.
“I promised that Nigeria will be on the front row seat at UNGA. Are we not on the front row seat? Did you report that too that Nigeria is sitting on number 8 while America is on number 26 at the back of Nigeria’s seat?
“And you know that Donald Trump didn’t go to sit on his seat, he came in to give a lecture at the UNGA and went back from there. Are you saying that Nigeria is not making the impact it’s supposed to make globally? Must we have Tinubu here before we can make the impact?”
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The Nigerian envoy further explained that the composition of the UNGA speaking list was another factor behind Tinubu’s absence.
According to him, about 60 per cent of the speakers scheduled to address the assembly are foreign affairs ministers and vice presidents.
“I’m chair of admin and budget. On the speaking list this year 60 percent are foreign affairs ministers and vice presidents, so as a permanent representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, if I’m to do a memo to the President on boarding the plane to go to UNGA, do you think that I would recommend that he should be on his way when 60 percent of the speaking list of countries are ministers representing their countries and vice presidents. You think that I will do that recommendation that the President should be on his way?
“So there are exigencies, if the speaking list is 90 percent President, of course, maybe the President can come, but if the list is 60 percent ministers, I don’t think that the President can come and be where he’s equivalent is a minister of Foreign Affairs of another country.”