‘Nigeria is not the only one’ – Gov Sule defends Tinubu’s UNGA absence

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said President Bola Tinubu is not the only world leader who is not attending the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Sule made the statement during a virtual interview with TVC, saying Nigeria’s diplomatic presence at the global meeting remained strong despite the President’s absence.

Vice President Kashim Shettima is representing Tinubu at the General Assembly. He is leading Nigeria’s delegation and is expected to deliver the country’s national statement on Thursday.

Shettima has represented Tinubu at the UN General Assembly for the third consecutive time, having attended on the President’s behalf in 2024 and 2025.

Speaking about the President’s absence, Sule said many countries had also sent vice presidents, foreign ministers and other senior officials to represent them.

He said, “I don’t think I’m competent to speak about the absence of our own president, but I just want to make it categorically clear that Nigeria is not the only one.

“There are so many other countries that are being represented by the vice president and, in fact, some by even foreign ministers.

“It is the presence of the country that is there that is more important rather than the presence of the head of government.”

The governor also revealed that Shettima had received more than 30 requests for bilateral meetings with foreign leaders and senior government officials.

“As at yesterday, we had over 30 requests from what I had, from heads of government, prime ministers, foreign ministers and then other kinds of ministers that want to come and meet with the vice president,” he said.

Sule said the number of requests showed that Nigeria continued to attract international attention at the General Assembly despite the President’s absence.

He added that Tinubu would have “very good reason” for not attending the event, saying those directly involved in the decision were in the best position to explain it.

The governor also said Nigeria’s campaign for reforms to the UN Security Council, including a permanent seat for Africa, could continue without the President being physically present in New York.

According to him, the country could use platforms such as the African Union, ECOWAS, bilateral engagements and other international meetings to advance the issue.

He said, “It is not just necessarily at the UN General Assembly address that it is going to be done, sealed and actually passed. There is still going to be a lot of side events, a lot of side meetings, sometimes not even here in New York, in so many other countries where such things will be taking place.”

Shettima attended the opening of the high-level General Debate at the UN Headquarters on Tuesday alongside other world leaders. He is scheduled to deliver Nigeria’s national statement on Thursday, with issues including international cooperation, development, peace and security expected to feature.

Sule, who is also attending the UNGA as part of Nigeria’s delegation, said he was using the opportunity to seek investment and partnerships for Nasarawa State.

He said particular attention was being given to the state’s critical minerals sector, noting that the lithium processing plant recently commissioned by President Tinubu had featured in discussions about Africa’s mineral resources.

The governor said he expected the meetings to help attract more investors and strengthen partnerships in Nasarawa’s solid minerals industry.

‘Nigeria is not the only one’ – Gov Sule defends Tinubu’s UNGA absence