Tinubu to attend 81st UN General Assembly in New York, meet Trump

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) scheduled to hold in New York, United States, in September.

Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, disclosed this on Wednesday after a meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, confirming that Tinubu would personally lead Nigeria’s delegation to the annual gathering of world leaders.

> “The President was able to give us his word. Now he will come to UNGA this September,” Ibrahim said.

According to the envoy, Tinubu’s participation will include several high-level engagements on the sidelines of the General Assembly, with discussions expected to focus on energy, education, healthcare and hospital management.

He explained that the President’s attendance would provide an opportunity to showcase the reforms being implemented by his administration and engage directly with world leaders, international organisations, investors and development partners.

Tinubu attended the 78th UN General Assembly in person but was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the 79th and 80th sessions.

Ibrahim also disclosed that the President would use the UN platform to seek greater international support for improved border policing in West Africa, describing the region’s porous borders as a major security challenge that enables terrorists, arms traffickers and other criminal networks to operate across countries.

> “So, border policing will be fine. These are the kind of things that the UN is established for,” he said.

He added that Nigeria was already collaborating with the United Nations on a regional border-policing initiative and would seek broader international backing during the assembly, with discussions expected to cover surveillance, intelligence sharing and cross-border cooperation.

The envoy also hinted at the possibility of a meeting between President Tinubu and United States President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the General Assembly, although he said no formal bilateral meeting had yet been confirmed.

According to Ibrahim, Tinubu is expected to sit in the front row during the General Debate and deliver Nigeria’s national statement at about 10:45 a.m. New York time, outlining the country’s position on global peace and security, economic development, climate change and reforms of international institutions.

The 81st UN General Assembly will open on September 8, 2026, while the General Debate will take place from September 22 to 28, bringing together heads of state, government leaders and representatives of international organisations to discuss global security, sustainable development, humanitarian crises, climate change and international economic cooperation.

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