‘It’s just a 15-minute speaking slot’ — Jimoh Ibrahim defends Tinubu’s absence at UNGA

Jimoh Ibrahim, Nigeria’s permanent representative to the
United Nations, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s absence at the 81st
session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

 

Ibrahim spoke on ‘Beyond The Headline’, a Television
Continental (TVC) programme, on Thursday, noting that Tinubu cannot attend the
event just to deliver a 15-minute speech.

Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national
orientation, had said Tinubu would not attend the 81st UNGA because he is
currently on annual leave.

Idris said Tinubu had mandated Vice-President Kashim
Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the high-level session in New York,
United States.

ATIKU FAULTS TINUBU’S ABSENCE

The minister’s comment followed criticism from former
Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African
Democratic Congress (ADC), who faulted the president’s absence at the
gathering.

Atiku had questioned Tinubu’s decision to stay away from the
general debate for the third consecutive year, saying the president’s
“persistent avoidance” of the United States raises questions.

The former vice-president also questioned why Tinubu did not
show up after Ibrahim reportedly said arrangements had been made for the
president to sit close to US President Donald Trump at the general assembly.

Atiku further linked Tinubu’s absence to his past legal
history in the US and asked: “Is Tinubu afraid that he could become Donald
Trump’s next Nicolás Maduro?”

However, Ibrahim said Tinubu’s absence should not be taken
as a big deal because many presidents of other countries did not attend the
gathering in person.

“What do you think President Tinubu is coming to do?” he
queried.

“The presidents are allowed in the UN under UNGA for 15
minutes. Is that the reason why he should board the flight and be here for 15
minutes?”

He said Shettima had, in Tinubu’s absence, attended
high-level meetings and met with Nigerians in the diaspora, describing the
engagement as ideal.

“This is the kind of engagement we want, not that the
president will just be inside the plane and be coming to UNGA for a 15-minute
speech. What is the meaning of that? We don’t want that,” Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim, who was appointed chairman of the budget and
administration committee for UNGA’s Fifth Committee in June, said 60 percent of
those on the speaking list at the gathering were foreign affairs ministers and
vice-presidents.

“As permanent representative of Nigeria to the United
Nations, if I’m to do a memo to the president at the last minute of boarding
the plane to go to UNGA, do you think I will recommend the president to be on
his way when 60 percent of the speaking list of 193 countries are ministers and
vice-presidents representing their countries?” he queried.

“There are exigencies. If the speaking list is 90
presidents, maybe of course, the president can come. I don’t think the
president should come and be where his equivalent is a minister of foreign
affairs of another country.”

‘NIGERIA PLACED AT FRONT ROW’

The envoy also said the country occupied a prominent
position at UNGA, arguing that Tinubu’s physical presence was not necessary.

“I promise that Nigeria will be on the front-row seat at
UNGA. Are we not on the front-row seat? Nigeria is sitting at number eight seat
in the UN under UNGA and America is at number 26th seat at the back of
Nigeria’s seat,” he said.

“And you know, Donald Trump didn’t go to sit on his own
seat. He came in to give a lecture at the UNGA and went back from there.

“Are you saying that Nigeria is making the impact it is
supposed to make globally? Must we have President Tinubu here before we can
make the impact?”

Speaking on what the composition of the speaking list
implied, Ibrahim said reforms were being planned to increase the impact of the
organisation on member-states.

“That is the reform we are taking on effective from October
1st. When I chair the budget and administrative committee, 90 percent of UN
resources is spent at the headquarters, while 10 percent goes to
member-states,” he said.

“So legitimacy is reduced because member-states are not
seeing impacts of the United Nations. We are going to reverse that.”

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