President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has decided not to attend the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York this year, as he has directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation.
A statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, stated that President Tinubu, who returned to the country last Sunday after his trip to China and a stopover in the United Kingdom, wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating and imminent flooding.
Since the return to democratic governance in 1999, Shettima will be the first Vice President to Nigeria’s delegation to UNGA, as only Dr. Goodluck Jonathan represented Nigeria as acting president in September 2010 at the 65th UNGA, while late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua was away in Saudi Arabia due to his ill health.
It reads thus: “At UNGA 79, Vice President Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement to the General Assembly, attend important sideline events, and hold bilateral meetings.”
“The high-level General Debate, with the theme ‘Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations,’ will run from Tuesday, September 24, through Saturday, September 28, 2024,” the statement added.
