Abuja – Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Sunday called on President Bola Tinubu to explain why he has missed three consecutive United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) sessions, a pattern Atiku says can no longer be dismissed as routine delegation.
According to a statement released by Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Tinubu was absent from the 79th UNGA in 2024, the 80th in 2025 and the ongoing 81st session in 2026. In each instance Vice President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the world’s largest diplomatic gathering.
Atiku argued that the UNGA “gives national leaders opportunities to defend their countries’ interests, negotiate partnerships and shape decisions on trade, security and development.” He warned that “presidential absence on the global stage has consequences,” citing potential losses in bilateral meetings, investment discussions, trade partnerships and development financing that could ultimately affect ordinary Nigerians through reduced investment, fewer jobs, pressure on the naira and higher living costs.
The former vice president also highlighted several specific concerns. He noted that Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jimoh Ibrahim, had secured a seat “not too far” from where U.S. President Donald Trump would sit, yet Tinubu “disappeared.” Atiku questioned reports that the Tinubu administration spent up to $9 million on American lobbyists, asking “what exactly did Nigerians purchase with that money?” He further referenced U.S. forfeiture proceedings (Case No. 93 C 4483) in the Northern District of Illinois, which resulted in the forfeiture of about $460,000 and alleged connections to narcotics trafficking and money laundering.
Finally, Atiku contrasted Nigeria’s outward military projection – citing the deployment of troops and fighter jets to the Benin Republic after the December 2025 attempted coup – with the president’s absence from the UN platform. He demanded that the presidency clarify whether Tinubu is free to travel to the United States and disclose the real reason for his continued UNGA non‑attendance, stressing that “Nigeria is bigger than Bola” and that the country’s diplomatic influence must not be subordinated to “Tinubu’s American baggage.”
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
