Nine million dollars spent lobbying Washington, and Nigeria still had no president in New York. That is the contradiction at the heart of a public challenge issued Sunday by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who demanded that President Bola Tinubu explain three straight years away from the United Nations General Assembly.
Atiku, speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, noted that Tinubu did not attend the 79th UNGA session in 2024, the 80th in 2025, or the 81st in 2026 and was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima on each occasion.
Three consecutive absences, Atiku said, required a clear explanation from the Presidency. No such explanation has been offered. The presidency has not publicly addressed the pattern, and no senior official has indicated whether the absences reflect a deliberate policy choice or other circumstances.
Atiku described the UNGA as one of the world’s most important diplomatic gatherings, one that brings together representatives of the UN’s 193 member states and gives presidents and prime ministers a platform to defend national interests, negotiate partnerships, and shape decisions on trade, security, and development. The assembly convenes annually in September in New York, drawing heads of state and government from across the globe for what is widely regarded as the most consequential week in multilateral diplomacy.
UNGA sidelines, he said, provide opportunities for bilateral meetings, investment drives, trade partnerships, and development finance negotiations, adding that presidential absence could carry implications for investment and economic opportunities.
The money question cuts deepest. Atiku questioned the rationale for committing up to $9 million to American lobbyists to improve Nigeria’s standing in the United States while the president did not attend the UNGA in New York.
“What exactly did Nigerians purchase with that money? Why spend millions of dollars lobbying Washington while staying away from New York?” Atiku asked.
He also referenced a reported statement by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations on securing a seat for the President at the General Assembly and questioned why the seat was not utilized.
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, had reportedly secured a seat for President Tinubu not too far from where US President Donald Trump was to be seated. “The seat was secured, but the president disappeared,” Atiku said.
While a vice president can represent a country at the UN, Atiku said the personal presence of a president carries authority and visibility that delegation cannot fully replace. Shettima has now made that trip three times on Tinubu’s behalf, a record of substitution that Atiku described as unprecedented among Nigeria’s recent leaders.
In 2024, the Presidency said Tinubu chose to remain in Nigeria to attend to pressing domestic matters, including challenges arising from flooding, while Shettima led the Nigerian delegation to the 79th UNGA. No comparable explanation has been offered for the 2025 or 2026 absences.
Atiku did not assert that Tinubu faces a legal bar from entering the United States. He said the issue warranted answers about whether the President’s history in America had influenced the decision and demanded that the Presidency state whether any legal, diplomatic, medical, or personal impediment prevented Tinubu from attending.
“If there is no impediment, the Presidency must explain this serial absenteeism. If an impediment exists, Nigerians have a right to know,” he said.
The Presidency confirmed that Shettima would lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st UNGA in New York, where he is expected to deliver Nigeria’s national statement and hold bilateral meetings with world leaders and development partners. Shettima’s agenda is expected to include engagements on energy transition funding, food security, and Nigeria’s broader economic reform program.
“Nigeria is bigger than any individual. Our diplomatic influence, economic interests, and international reputation must be protected,” Atiku said. The presidency had not responded to the challenge at the time of publication.
