Vice President Kashim Shettima, acting on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, is slated to deliver Nigeria’s national address at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) today in New York.
The speech, expected between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 pm (New York time), will cover themes such as multilateralism, UN reform, climate action and global financial restructuring.
This follows last year’s call by President Tinubu for Africa to gain permanent seats on the UN Security Council.
Earlier, Shettima participated in the Assembly’s opening session, during which U.S. President Donald Trump officially welcomed delegates.
On the sidelines, he held a bilateral meeting with Namibian President Nandi-Ndaitwah, who commended Nigeria’s diplomatic support and pledged a visit to Abuja.
She reciprocated by affirming her country’s desire to deepen ties with Nigeria.
He also met with representatives of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he expressed gratitude for their contributions and sought expanded cooperation in the fields of agriculture, health and financial inclusion.
In turn, the Foundation pledged to intensify investment in Nigeria’s human capital, education, and health sectors.
Shettima used his engagements to reiterate Nigeria’s ambition of achieving at least 7% annual growth, calling it contingent on macroeconomic stability and strategic investment in infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture and education.
During the same meetings, Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa appealed for stronger Gates Foundation backing in technology, AI and foundational learning, underscoring the need for faster progress in Nigeria’s educational sector.
In response, Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman affirmed his organization’s dedication to supporting Nigeria’s human development agenda, applauding Tinubu and Shettima’s commitment as foundational to their collaboration.
Other notable officials in attendance included Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, Women Affairs Minister Iman Sulaiman-Ibrahim, and other senior appointees.
