By Asmau Ahmad
Nigeria’ President Bola Tinubu on Sunday arrived in New York for the high-level meetings of the 78th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
Tinubu arrived at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York at about 6:45pm local time.
The President is leading the Nigerian delegation to attend the scheduled events of the general assembly from September 18 to 26 in what is his first outing in his capacity as the President of Nigeria.
The president was received by the Minister of Foreign of Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, Ambassador Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, and Maj.-Gen. Dangana Allu, Nigeria’s Defence Attache, Washington D.C.
Tinubu, in his inaugural statement to the Assembly, will be addressing world leaders in the evening of Tuesday at about 6pm local time.
The Nigerian leader will be the fifth African leader to speak on day one of the gathering and 14th speaker out of 20 leaders slated to speak in Tuesday.
Tinubu’s address will encompass several issues such as sustainable development, climate change, global cooperation, and the imperative to address inequalities and global humanitarian crises.
On Wednesday, the Nigerian President is slated to participate in the high-level dialogue on financing for development.
He will attend a high-level meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response.
On Thursday, he will be participating in the UN Secretary General’s Climate Ambition Summit and attend a high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage.
He is also expected to join another high-level panel on reform of the global financial architecture.
On Friday, he will be attending the high-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis.
During the week, Tinubu is scheduled to hold several bilateral meetings with world leaders including the presidents of the European Union Commission, Brazil, and South Africa, among others.
Tinubu will also advance his economic development agenda for aggressive investments attraction in meetings with the global leadership of transnational firms.
Among such firms are Microsoft, Meta Technologies, Exxon Mobil, General Electric, and a few others.
The theme of the UNGA is: “Rebuilding Trust and Reigniting Global Solidarity: Accelerating Action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all.
