Tinubu to Address World Leaders at UN General Assembly September 23

President Bola Tinubu will address world leaders at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23, 2026. He is scheduled to speak during the morning session and is expected to use the platform to highlight Nigeria’s reforms, discuss regional security and seek international support for border policing in West Africa.

Daniel Momodu · August 19, 2026 · 7

President Bola Tinubu will address world leaders at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 23 in New York.

According to the provisional list of speakers obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Tinubu is scheduled to be the 10th speaker during the morning session of the second day of the high-level General Debate.

He is expected to deliver his address between 11:30 a.m. and noon New York time, which is between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Nigerian time.

The Nigerian President will join about 193 world leaders at the week-long high-level debate, including more than 150 heads of state and government.

The theme of the 81st UN General Assembly is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”

Tinubu is also expected to participate in several high-level meetings, side events and summits focusing on issues including climate action, sea-level rise and pandemic preparedness.

He is scheduled to meet outgoing UN Secretary-General António Guterres, whose tenure ends on December 31, 2026.

Tinubu is also expected to meet with Nigeria’s Amina Mohammed, the outgoing UN Deputy Secretary-General, who has held the position since 2017.

Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, confirmed that Tinubu would attend the General Assembly.

Ibrahim said the President’s participation would provide an opportunity for Nigeria to showcase the reforms being implemented by his administration to the international community.

He added that Tinubu would use the platform to engage international stakeholders on border policing in West Africa, describing the region’s porous borders as a major security challenge.

The ambassador said the Federal Government was working with the UN on a regional border-policing initiative and would seek wider international support for the programme.

He also disclosed that a meeting between Tinubu and US President Donald Trump could take place on the sidelines of the assembly.

The 81st session of the General Assembly will formally open on September 8, while the high-level General Debate will run from September 22 to 28.

Tinubu attended the 78th session in person in 2023, while Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the 79th and 80th sessions in 2024 and 2025, respectively.