By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
President Bola Tinubu will address world leaders at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) General Debate in New York, where he is scheduled as the 10th speaker during the morning session of the second day of the high-level debate.
The high-level General Debate will run from Tuesday, 22 September to Monday, 28 September, 2026, at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Tinubu expected to deliver his address on Wednesday, 23 September, 2026, according to a provisional list of speakers obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.
The Nigerian leader is expected to speak between 11:30am and noon New York time, equivalent to 4:30pm Nigerian time, joining a line-up of 193 world leaders, including more than 150 heads of state and government, as well as more than 40 vice presidents, deputy prime ministers, ministers and other senior government officials.
Traditionally, Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will open the General Debate on September 22, followed by United States President Donald Trump, who will speak as the host-country leader.
The theme for the 81st session, which will be presided over by Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh, is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
The week-long high-level debate is expected to provide Tinubu with an opportunity to participate in several high-level meetings, side events and major summits focusing on climate action, sea-level rise and pandemic preparedness.
The President is also expected to hold a high-level meeting with the outgoing UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, whose two-term tenure ends on December 31, 2026.
He is equally expected to meet with the outgoing UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, a Nigerian who has occupied the position since 2017 and holds the most senior position attained by an African at the United Nations.
Sources at the UN told NAN that the speaking slots remain subject to adjustments depending on the attendance of world leaders. However, Nigeria has historically enjoyed diplomatic goodwill that has helped it secure prominent speaking positions on the first or second day of the General Debate.
Tinubu attended the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in person in 2023, while Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented him at the 79th and 80th sessions in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
Nigeria’s retention of its prominent speaking slots during the period was attributed to diplomatic manoeuvring by the country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
The Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, Amb. Jimoh Ibrahim, confirmed Tinubu’s attendance at the 2026 General Assembly, saying the President had given his word to attend the September gathering.
Ibrahim said Tinubu’s participation would provide Nigeria with an opportunity to showcase the reforms being implemented by his administration to the international community.
He added that the President would use the UN platform to engage international stakeholders on border policing in West Africa, describing the region’s porous borders as a major security challenge.
According to him, the Federal Government is collaborating with the United Nations on a regional border-policing initiative and would seek broader international support for the programme during the General Assembly.
Ibrahim further disclosed that Tinubu could meet with Trump on the sidelines of the high-level gathering.
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly is scheduled to open on September 8, 2026, while the General Debate will take place from September 22 to September 28.
The gathering will bring together heads of state, government leaders, ministers and senior government officials to deliberate on pressing global issues, including climate change, sustainable development, and international peace and security.
