Government says Shettima has full mandate to represent Tinubu at UN assembly

Nigeria’s Federal Government has defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision not to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, saying Vice-President Kashim Shettima has been given the full presidential mandate to represent him. In a statement signed on Monday by Information and National Orientation Minister Mohammed Idris, the government said Shettima would lead Nigeria’s delegation, deliver the country’s national statement and take part in high-level meetings and bilateral engagements. The statement said those engagements would cover peace and security, economic development, climate action, reform of the global financial architecture, sustainable development and international cooperation.

The government said Tinubu was currently on annual leave and argued that delegating the vice-president was neither unusual nor a reduction in Nigeria’s diplomatic standing. It said the decision marked the third consecutive time Tinubu had asked Shettima to represent him at the gathering. The arrangement has drawn criticism from opposition figures, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who called on Tinubu to explain his absence.

The government said recent commentary by Atiku and a US-based lobbying organisation retained by him had questioned the president’s non-attendance and attributed motives to it that were “false and baseless”. Idris’s statement urged political actors to distinguish between verified information, political opinion and speculation. It also said Nigeria’s relationship with the United States should be handled through established diplomatic and governmental channels rather than partisan commentary or private lobbying activity.

The government concluded that Nigeria would be fully represented in New York and that its interests would be advanced during the assembly.