Shettima to deliver Tinubu’s national statement at UNGA 80
…as Nigeria advocates for UN reform, stronger multilateralism, and climate action
By Kunle Sanni –
Vice President Kashim Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday, representing President Bola Tinubu.
The speech, scheduled between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. New York time, is expected to focus on multilateralism, United Nations reform, climate action, and international financial restructuring. This comes a year after President Tinubu urged the UN to allocate permanent seats on the Security Council to Africa—a proposal now under consideration.
On Tuesday, Shettima joined other world leaders at the Assembly’s opening session, where U.S. President Joe Biden formally welcomed delegates with a keynote address.
On the sidelines, the Vice President held bilateral discussions with Namibia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who took office in March this year. The Namibian leader praised Nigeria’s role in strengthening her country’s diplomacy, describing Nigerian diplomats as “basically Namibians, helping in so many ways.”
She announced plans to pay an official visit to Nigeria, expressing her eagerness to personally meet President Tinubu. In response, Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening ties with Namibia, stressing the need to elevate relations “beyond where they are now.”
The meeting was attended by Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, Women Affairs Minister Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, and Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa.
In a separate engagement, Shettima met with Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman and other senior executives. He commended the Foundation’s contributions to Nigeria’s health, agriculture, and financial inclusion sectors, while calling for expanded investment.
Education Minister Alausa urged the Foundation to channel more resources into education, particularly in technology, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. “We don’t have adequate support at all in this sector,” he said, appealing for a stronger partnership.
