President Bola Tinubu will attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September to press nation’s reform agenda and champion a UN-backed initiative to tighten border security across West Africa, Nigeria’s Ambassdor to the UN said Tuesday.
Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative, told State House Correspondenrs after a closed-door meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja that Tinubu accepted an invitation to the 80th session in New York.
President Tinubu he explained will use his address to highlight the administration’s economic and governance measures.
The President according to him, will also attend a series of high-level side events on energy, education and health, Ibrahim said.
The Presidency he noted is still narrowing the President’s schedule until the start of the New York global meeting.
“I came in from New York to speak with the President in preparation for the United Nations General Assembly,” Ibrahim said.
“The President has generously agreed to attend the UN meeting. It is significant because Mr. President has a speech to deliver to the whole world on the reform successes recorded in Nigeria.”
The UN envoy said the President is placing particular emphasis on regional security, and has directed officials to deepen cooperation with the UN to confront what he described as the security risks posed by porous borders across West Africa.
Ibrahim said peacekeeping and other U.N.-backed efforts will be focused on “border policing” in the sub‑region, and teased that new measures will be announced soon.
“I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag, but I can tell you that positive developments are coming for Nigeria and the West African sub‑region in the area of border policing,” he said, adding that he will return to UN officials to press Nigeria’s position and to propose using West Africa as a case study for enhanced cross‑border policing.
Ibrahim described border security as central to regional stability and said the UN considers it a priority.
He declined to provide operational details of the proposed initiative.
The diplomat also declined to comment on speculation about a possible bilateral meeting between Mr. Tinubu and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the assembly, but said Tinubu will be seated near Mr. Trump during the opening session and is scheduled to speak at about 10:45 a.m. New York time.
In a separate role, Ibrahim said he will present the UN’s proposed 2027 budget as chairman of the UN Budget Committee.
President Tinubu has attended the General Assembly once since taking office, debuting at the 78th session in 2023 and stressing governance reforms, climate policy and regional security.
He skipped last year’s meeting amid the administration’s cost‑cutting measures, when he ordered a smaller delegation and limited travel to officials with direct responsibilities.
