Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, has defended President Bola Tinubu's absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly, saying it did not affect Nigeria's prominent position at the gathering. Ibrahim stated that over 60% of officials scheduled to speak at the assembly were represented by vice presidents or foreign ministers. This suggests that Tinubu's absence was not unusual.
Ibrahim argued that it would have been unnecessary for Tinubu to travel to New York for a 15-minute speech when the President had other pressing matters to attend to. Vice President Kashim Shettima represented Tinubu at the assembly and delivered Nigeria's national statement. Ibrahim's comments come amid criticism of Tinubu's extended stay in Europe, which sparked concerns about his prolonged absence from Nigeria.
Several major countries, including South Africa, China, and Russia, were not represented by their presidents at the gathering. Ibrahim noted that he had secured a seat close to United States President Donald Trump for Nigeria at the General Assembly. He defended the arrangement, saying Nigeria occupied the sixth position in the front row of the General Assembly chamber.
Ibrahim had earlier claimed he had fulfilled his promise to secure a prominent seat for Nigeria. He expressed surprise that his efforts were not commended, saying it was no easy feat for a country to secure a front-row seat. Ibrahim emphasized that Nigeria's position was significant, given that there are 193 countries represented at the UN.
Ibrahim also addressed the controversy surrounding Tinubu's four-week stay in Europe. The President had left Nigeria on August 30 for a three-week annual vacation but extended his stay, sparking criticism from opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar. However, Ibrahim dismissed these concerns, saying Tinubu did not violate the Constitution.
According to Ibrahim, the President's working leave was different from an absolute leave, and therefore, he did not breach any constitutional provision. Ibrahim drew parallels with his own experience, saying even he, as the chair of the budget in the UN, was looking forward to taking leave. He emphasized that human beings are not machines and need breaks.
While Tinubu was away, Vice President Shettima led Nigeria's delegation to the UNGA and participated in several high-level engagements. Tinubu returned to Nigeria from Paris on Tuesday, arriving in Lagos aboard Nigerian Air Force One. Ibrahim's comments suggest that Tinubu's absence did not negatively impact Nigeria's representation at the UN.
Key points
- Jimoh Ibrahim defends President Bola Tinubu's absence from the 81st UN General Assembly.
- Ibrahim says over 60% of officials at the assembly were represented by vice presidents or foreign ministers.
- Tinubu's absence did not affect Nigeria's prominent position at the gathering, according to Ibrahim.
