President Bola Tinubu will speak at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on September 24.
According to a revised list of speakers released by the UN, Tinubu will deliver his speech on the second day of the event.
The Nigerian president is expected to address other world leaders in the afternoon session at about 8:30 pm local time in New York (2:30 pm in Nigeria).
He will be the 17th speaker on day two of the debate, the UN list shows.
The debate will feature 195 leaders, including 98 heads of state, five vice-presidents, 44 heads of government, four deputy prime ministers, 37 ministers, one crown prince, and four heads of delegation.
As tradition demands, Brazil’s President Luiz da Silva will open the debate, followed by U.S. President Donald Trump, representing the host country.
UN sources told reporters that the list may change, depending on whether Tinubu attends in person or not.
By UN tradition, heads of state usually speak on the first and second days, while vice-presidents speak from the third day onward.
In 2024, Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Tinubu on the first day of the debate. Diplomats described this as unusual, as the speaking slot is normally reserved for heads of state.
The rare exception was seen as proof of Nigeria’s goodwill at the UN and the skill of Nigerian diplomats.
Movses Abelian, UN Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management, said the revised list reflects changes in representation and ongoing adjustments between member states.
He explained that the list will continue to be updated until the debate begins, based on official communications from member countries.
The theme of the 80th session’s general debate is: “Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.”
The 80th UN General Assembly formally opened on September 9, with Annalena Baerbock of Germany inaugurated as its new president.
Baerbock, a former German Foreign Minister, is only the fifth woman to lead the Assembly in its history. She pledged to promote unity in tackling crises such as war, poverty, and climate change.
She took her oath on the original 1945 UN Charter and received the ceremonial gavel from her predecessor, Philémon Yang of Cameroon.
The high-level General Debate will run from September 23 to 29.
The week of activities will begin on September 22 and end on September 30, bringing world leaders together for both the debate and several side events.
These events include the UN’s 80th anniversary commemoration, the SDG Moment, a meeting on the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, a conference on Palestine and the two-state solution, the Climate Summit, and a meeting to launch a global dialogue on AI governance.
