President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to address world leaders at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
Tinubu is listed as the 10th speaker during the morning session on the second day of the high-level General Debate, which runs from September 22 to 28.
He is expected to speak between 11:30 a.m. and noon New York time, equivalent to about 4:30 p.m. Nigerian time. The provisional programme lists 193 world leaders and other senior government officials for the General Debate.
The theme of UNGA 81 is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
During the week-long gathering, Tinubu is expected to participate in high-level meetings, side events and summits focused on issues including climate action, sea-level rise and pandemic preparedness.
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, said Tinubu’s participation would provide an opportunity to showcase the administration’s reforms to the international community. He also said Nigeria would seek international support for a regional border-policing initiative in West Africa, with porous borders described as a major security challenge.
Tinubu is also expected to meet outgoing UN Secretary-General António Guterres. A possible meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines has also been mentioned, although it has not been confirmed as a scheduled meeting.
Tinubu last personally attended the UN General Assembly in 2023. Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the 2024 and 2025 sessions.