The Presidency has rejected suggestions that President Bola Tinubu’s decision to miss the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the third consecutive year is linked to any restriction on his travel to the United States.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, Ademola Osodi, said there was no impediment to Mr Tinubu travelling to the US.
Mr Osodi spoke on Channels Television’s *Sunday Politics* programme on Sunday, following the announcement that Vice President Kashim Shettima would lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st UNGA in New York.
He said President Tinubu was focused on domestic priorities, particularly the economy and security, while Nigeria continued to pursue its interests through other international and regional platforms.
“President Tinubu is focusing on issues of domestic concerns like economy, security and even on other issues on other international forums which I believe equally is important,” Mr Osodi said.
He added that the president’s absence would not affect Nigeria’s diplomatic standing or its role in Africa.
“With or without his presence, there will not be any change in Nigeria’s role as giant of Africa, the leader of the economic resurgence of Africa,” he said.
Mr Osodi also dismissed claims that President Tinubu could not travel to the United States because of issues involving American authorities.
“There’s absolutely no impediment,” he said, describing the claim as an “old chestnut” and attributing it to politics.
The presidential aide cited previous trips to the US with Mr Tinubu as evidence that the president has been able to travel to the country.
He recalled accompanying Mr Tinubu to the UN General Assembly in 2023 and on another trip during which the Nigerian delegation transited through Los Angeles before travelling to Yokohama, Japan, for engagements linked to the Japanese development agency.
“We were in America, I was there with them. So it is politics. We can talk about this every single election cycle, it is just politics,” Mr Osodi said.
President Tinubu attended the 78th UNGA in 2023 but did not attend the 79th session in 2024 or the 80th session in 2025. Vice President Shettima represented him at both sessions and will again lead Nigeria’s delegation this year.
The 81st UNGA general debate is scheduled for 22 to 28 September in New York. Mr Shettima is expected to deliver Nigeria’s national statement and participate in high-level and bilateral meetings.
The Presidency said the delegation would use the meetings to advance Nigeria’s economic diplomacy and strengthen partnerships on development, climate finance and reform of the global financial system.
The decision has also attracted criticism from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who questioned President Tinubu’s repeated absence from the global gathering.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said that although the vice president could represent Nigeria, repeated delegation could not fully substitute for the president’s personal participation at a major diplomatic event.
He said the UNGA provides an opportunity for world leaders to hold bilateral meetings, pursue investment and trade partnerships and discuss development financing.
Atiku also questioned whether President Tinubu’s previous legal history in the US could have any bearing on his repeated absence, while acknowledging that the Presidency had not announced any legal restriction preventing the president from entering the country.
The Presidency has rejected that suggestion, with Mr Osodi maintaining that there is no obstacle preventing President Tinubu from travelling to the US.
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, has also defended the country’s representation at the General Assembly.
Mr Ibrahim said President Tinubu’s absence should not be interpreted as inadequate representation, noting that Vice President Shettima and Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu would participate in the diplomatic engagements.
He said it was not unusual for countries to delegate representation to senior officials when their presidents could not attend.
Mr Ibrahim also said Nigeria would retain its designated position at the General Assembly, including its front-row seat, while Mr Shettima represents the president.
