Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in New York, United States, to participate in the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which is set to run from Monday, September 22 to Sunday, September 28, 2025.
Attending on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Vice President will deliver Nigeria’s national address during the high-level General Debate and engage in a series of side events and bilateral meetings throughout the week.
Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, reaffirmed the country’s dedication to multilateral cooperation and strategic global alliances.
During his time in New York, Shettima is expected to unveil Nigeria’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Climate Agreement. He will also take part in the Global Champions’ high-level roundtable on Adequate and Affordable Housing, in addition to presenting Nigeria’s official statement at the General Assembly.
On arrival, the Vice President was welcomed by a delegation including Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Minister of Defence Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Chief Uche Nnaji (Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology), Nigeria’s Permanent Mission Charge d’Affaires to the UN, Ambassador Samson Itegboje, Brigadier General Edward Koleoso (Defence Attaché, New York), and Group Captain Sani Kalgo (Defence Attaché, Washington), among others.
Speaking on Nigeria’s priorities for this year’s assembly, Foreign Minister Tuggar highlighted the country’s advocacy for a United Nations Global Tax Convention as part of broader efforts to reform international financial systems.
“This is something that has put Nigeria in the position of leadership,” he stated. “And you can see that during the briefing for the Vice President, there were Ministers present, senior government officials, and the whole idea of having this briefing is so that we will all be on the same page.
“So, going out engaging, we have to make sure that we promote this; we also promote Nigeria’s push to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, because Africa has something referred to as the common African position.”
Tuggar emphasized Africa’s unified stance on Security Council reform, grounded in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, which advocate for at least two permanent seats for Africa.
He added, “We also have the issue of peacekeeping. You know, Nigeria has participated in one of the 60 peacekeeping operations that the United Nations has had. We want to ensure that when it comes to peace, the contributions to peacekeeping—not just troops, but the funding—we are not hit twice.
“Nigeria contributes not only on the African side but indeed also on the UN side. We reiterated Nigeria’s position on the conflict in the Middle East, in Gaza, Palestine, the issue of Eastern Congo, and the conflict in Sudan.
The Vice President will be meeting with the Prime Minister of Sudan, and he is also going to participate in the African Union Peace and Security Council meeting,” he explained.
Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Uba Sani, expressed optimism that Nigeria’s involvement in the 80th UNGA would enhance the country’s global economic profile.
“We are looking at areas of our strength. We are here with some ministers and governors. Some of the areas we are looking at have to do with solid mineral resources, in which Nigeria is really doing extremely well,” he said.
“We are also looking at other areas of investment that have to do with our economy—that is, the area of agriculture and other areas of the economy, skills-based education in our country.
“And of course, the Vice President has prepared the Nigerian position that will be delivered on Wednesday by the grace of God, and I’m optimistic that it will further reposition Nigeria as the leading economy in Africa,” the governor added.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olajumoke Omoniyi Oduwole, noted that Nigeria would use the platform to strengthen its stance on sustainable development while promoting economic reforms.
“We also have a number of interventions and side events that Nigeria will be hosting. On Monday, we have the Nigeria Investment Day, which will be attended by the Vice President Shettima. It will highlight our priority sectors. We are highlighting the solid minerals, we are highlighting telecommunications and technology in its entirety,” she said.
“So in all it is to push forward the Renewed Hope Agenda and the areas that we are focusing on in investment to push forward the reforms that the Nigerian economy has experienced in the last two years and to make sure that all the friends of Nigeria in New York for this event are well vast in the position of where we are now,” Oduwole concluded.
