Tinubu departs Nigeria for 78th UNGA in US

President Bola Tinubu has departed Nigeria for the United States to attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The presidency made the announcement in a statement on Sunday afternoon.

This is Tinubu’s first UNGA meeting since he was sworn in as president in May.

The president is expected to hold bilateral meetings with various world leaders, including Joe Biden, president of the United States, and Von der Leyen, president of the European Union Commission, on the sidelines of the summit.

Ajuri Ngelale, the president’s spokesperson, had also said his principal would meet with Brad Smith, global president of Microsoft, and Nick Clegg, head of global affairs for Meta Technologies.

Ngelale said Tinubu’s meeting with the duo would focus on strategies on how to improve Nigeria’s digital transformation and leverage artificial intelligence.

He is also expected to deliver his inaugural national statement on the floor of the UN headquarters on September 19.

The Nigerian president will also address American business leaders at the US Chamber of Commerce and conduct the NASDAQ closing ceremony.

Tinubu will be the first African president to do so.

The 78th UNGA session will be held from September 18 to 26 in New York. 

The theme for this year’s UNGA is, “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 agenda and its sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”.