Tinubu Makes History as First Nigerian President to Receive Proposed UN Budget

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has received the proposed 2027 United Nations budget from Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, in what has been described as a historic development for the country.

Ibrahim presented the seven-volume budget document to Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, following its submission by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Matters.

Speaking to journalists after the presentation on Sunday, October 18, Ibrahim said the occasion marked the first time in 66 years that a Nigerian president had received the proposed UN budget through this process.

The Nigerian envoy currently chairs the Fifth Committee, which is responsible for considering the United Nations’ administrative and budgetary matters.

“This is the first time in 66 years that Nigeria will chair the Budget and Administrative Committee. It is the first time, and we do not know when it will happen again in history,” Ibrahim said.

He described Tinubu’s receipt of the document as a significant milestone, noting that Nigeria’s position in the committee provided an opportunity to participate in discussions concerning the organisation’s financial priorities and administrative operations.

According to Ibrahim, the proposed budget covers the UN’s regular activities and peacekeeping operations. He put the regular budget at approximately $3.4 billion and the peacekeeping budget at about $8.5 billion.

However, he stressed that the figures remained subject to further negotiations and approval by member states before implementation.

The envoy declined to disclose the specific financial benefits Nigeria might receive from the proposed budget, explaining that discussions among committee members were still ongoing.

He also highlighted the UN’s investments in other countries, citing the construction of a $260 million conference centre in Kenya as an example of the organisation’s development-related activities.

Nigeria assumed the chairmanship of the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee in September 2026, placing the country at the centre of deliberations on the UN’s financial and administrative priorities.

The development underscores Nigeria’s participation in international budgetary discussions, although receiving the proposed budget does not mean that the country has received the money as funding.

The document will undergo further scrutiny and negotiations before the UN member states approve the final budget for 2027.