Vice President Kashim Shettima has joined other world leaders at the United Nations Headquarters in New York as the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly gets underway.
Shettima is representing President Bola Tinubu at the high-level gathering and is expected to deliver Nigeria’s national statement on Thursday, September 24.
According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima attended a welcome breakfast hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres for heads of delegation and their spouses.
The Vice President later arrived at the General Assembly Hall alongside the governors of Zamfara, Dauda Lawal; Kwara, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; and Rivers, Siminalayi Fubara.
Other members of the Nigerian delegation include Defence Minister Christopher Musa, Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim.
The General Debate, which runs from September 22 to 28, is being held under the theme, “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
Shettima’s address is expected to highlight Nigeria’s position on global issues, including institutional reform, sustainable development, peace and security, climate action and the need for a fairer global economic system.
The statement quoted the Vice President as saying Nigeria would use the UNGA platform to advance its national interests and deepen cooperation with international partners.
Earlier, Shettima represented President Tinubu at the Third High-Level Roundtable of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, where he called for greater efforts to move Africa beyond the export of raw minerals.
He urged African countries to develop processing and manufacturing industries that would create jobs, stimulate industrial growth and ensure that the continent benefits more from its natural resources.
Shettima also called for stronger cooperation among African countries, warning against competition for concessions that could reduce the value derived from the continent’s mineral wealth.
The Vice President is expected to participate in further high-level and bilateral meetings during the UN General Assembly week.
