Shettima visits Tinubu in Lagos after UN assembly trip

Vice President Kashim Shettima has visited President Bola Tinubu in Lagos after representing him at the 2026 United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to Dada Olusegun, the President’s Special Assistant on Social Media. Shettima spoke to journalists after the meeting at his Lagos residence. He said he had remained in regular contact with Tinubu during the President’s time abroad, with the two leaders speaking “almost every other day” about developments in Nigeria.

The Vice President said advances in science and technology had enabled leaders to remain engaged in governance regardless of their location. He added that he was pleased Tinubu had returned and resumed his duties. Shettima also defended the administration’s decision to remove the fuel subsidy and unify multiple exchange rates.

He said the government inherited foreign reserves of $3.9bn, which he described as insufficient to finance fuel imports for one month. According to Shettima, Tinubu had shown “courage and conviction” in taking what he called far-reaching decisions. He said the reforms had saved the economy, while acknowledging the hardship being experienced by Nigerians.

The Vice President urged patience, saying difficult conditions would not last indefinitely. He said the government was preparing programmes to ease the impact, including a planned e-logistics initiative in the North-East involving 10,600 electric tricycles, 300 buses and e-taxis. He also said support programmes were being developed for students and other vulnerable Nigerians.

Shettima added that the administration would combine governance with political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections. Tinubu returned to Lagos after ending a working vacation in France. He had left Abuja on August 30, spending one week in London before travelling to Paris.