President Bola Tinubu will join world leaders to address the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) General Debate on September 23, in New York.
Mr Tinubu is scheduled as the 10th speaker during the morning session on day two of the high-level General Debate, which will be held from September 22 to 28 at the UN headquarters.
A provisional list of speakers shows Mr Tinubu will deliver his statement during the morning session.
The Nigerian leader will speak around 11:30 a.m. and noon New York time (4:30 p.m. Nigerian time).
He will join a line-up of 193 world leaders, including over 150 heads of state and government, and more than 40 others including vice presidents, deputy prime ministers, ministers and other senior government officials.
As tradition dictates, Brazil’s President Luiz da Silva will open the debate on September 22, followed by U.S. President Donald Trump as the host country’s president.
The theme for UNGA 81, to be presided over by Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh, is ‘Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all’.
The week-long high-level debate will be a busy outing for Tinubu, who is expected to participate in several high-level meetings, side events and major summits on climate action, sea-level rise and pandemic preparedness.
The Nigerian leader will meet with outgoing UN secretary-general António Guterres, whose two-term tenure ends on December 31, 2026.
Mr Tinubu is also expected to meet with the outgoing UN deputy secretary-general, Nigeria’s Amina Mohammed, who holds the most senior role by an African and has been in the saddle since 2017.
Speaking slots remain subject to adjustment depending on attendance. Meanwhile, Nigeria has historically enjoyed goodwill that ensures prominent positioning on the first or the second day.
Mr Tinubu attended the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in 2023 in person while Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented him at the 79th and 80th sessions in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
Mr Shettima, who delivered Nigeria’s national statement, unusually retained Nigeria’s day-one speaking slots, credited to diplomatic manoeuvring by Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the UN.
Jimoh Ibrahim, Nigeria’s permanent representative to the UN, has confirmed Tinubu’s attendance at the 2026 UNGA.
The Nigerian envoy said Mr Tinubu’s participation would allow Nigeria to showcase the reforms his administration is implementing to the international community, adding that Mr Tinubu would also use the UN platform to engage stakeholders on border policing in West Africa, describing the region’s porous borders as a “major security challenge”.
He said Nigeria was collaborating with the UN on a regional border policing initiative and would seek broader international support for the effort during the assembly.
Mr Jimoh also said the president could meet with Mr Trump on the sidelines of the event.
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly will open on September 8. The annual gathering brings together heads of state, government leaders, ministers and top-level government functionaries to deliberate on global issues.
These issues include climate change, sustainable development, and international peace and security.