Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu is set to address the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, September 24, the UN has confirmed.
According to a revised provisional list of speakers obtained from the UN headquarters, Tinubu is scheduled to deliver his address during the afternoon session, around 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. Nigerian time). He will be the 17th world leader to speak on the second day of the high-level general debate.
The President will join 195 world leaders, including 98 heads of state, five vice presidents, 44 heads of government, and four deputy prime ministers. Other participants include 37 ministers, one crown prince, and four delegation chairs.
Under UN tradition, heads of state speak on the first and second days of the debate, while vice presidents address the assembly from the third day.
Tinubu’s slot follows a rare deviation in 2024, when Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented him on the first day. Diplomats credited that occurrence to Nigeria’s strong international standing and skilled diplomatic negotiations.
Movses Abelian, Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management, noted, “The revised list reflects changes in the level of representation and exchanges among Member States. This list will continue to be updated until the start of the General Debate as changes are communicated by Member States.”
The 80th session of the General Assembly opened on September 9 with the inauguration of its new president, Annalena Baerbock of Germany.
Baerbock, a former German foreign minister and the fifth woman to preside over the General Assembly, called on member states to unite in tackling global challenges, including war, poverty, and climate change.
The theme for UNGA 80 is “Better Together: 80 Years and More for Peace, Development, and Human Rights.”
The high-level week will run from September 22 to September 30, featuring events such as the SDG Moment, the Climate Summit, the Conference on Palestine and the Two-State Solution, and the High-Level Meeting on AI Governance, among others.
