Three years, three no-shows. As world leaders gather in New York, President Tinubu is sitting this one out again, sending VP Shettima to hold Nigeria’s seat.
Another year, another empty chair for Nigeria at the world’s biggest diplomatic stage. President Bola Tinubu will not be walking into the UN General Assembly hall in New York this week—the third consecutive year he’s skipped the gathering since taking office in 2023. Vice President Kashim Shettima is once again stepping in, leading Nigeria’s delegation at the 81st session, which runs September 22–28 under the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation.”
The pattern is hard to ignore. Tinubu personally addressed the General Assembly only once, back in September 2023, months into his presidency. Every year since, it’s been Shettima at the podium.
This time, the presidency says it’s about focus, not fallout. Presidential aide Ademola Osodi framed the decision as Tinubu prioritizing domestic issues like the economy and security, and pushed back on speculation that travel restrictions to the US played any role, insisting there are no obstacles to such a trip.
But not everyone’s buying the “business as usual” line. Opposition figure Atiku Abubakar says three years of absences can no longer be waved off as coincidence, and is demanding an explanation, questioning whether the president’s history with US law enforcement has become a diplomatic burden.
For a country of over 200 million people—Africa’s largest economy and most populous nation — sitting out the world’s premier diplomatic gathering three years straight is a look. Whether it’s strategy or something else, Nigerians are left watching their seat get filled by proxy, again.
