A former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Bola Akinterinwa, has suggested that President Bola Tinubu’s absence from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) may be a calculated diplomatic move.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, Akinterinwa explained that although Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented Tinubu at the summit, might not operate at the same level as heads of state, the decision to stay away could be strategic.
He argued that former US President Donald Trump’s unpredictable nature might have created opportunities to embarrass Tinubu on the global stage.
“It may be a strategy in itself,” Akinterinwa said. “At the level of Donald Trump, he is unpredictable. He often acts before thinking and could thoroughly embarrass our president or find unnecessary excuses to do so because Nigeria seems to be taking an independent stance in international affairs. Trump doesn’t like this — he wants to be seen as primus inter pares in global relations.”
‘Trump Not Better Than Tinubu’
The former NIIA chief acknowledged that Tinubu’s absence could fuel speculation but maintained that the president is more measured and strategic than Trump.
“This is the second time our president has not attended. The ideal thing would have been to go,” he said. “But if he were there, could anyone say Donald Trump is better than Ahmed Tinubu? He’s not. Tinubu is as intelligent — if not more intelligent — and he is more cautious and strategic. However, when you’re absent, you leave room for speculation.”
‘Reform or Risk Irrelevance’
In his speech to the 80th UN General Assembly, delivered by Vice President Shettima, Tinubu warned that the UN must undergo sweeping reforms or risk becoming irrelevant as global events increasingly bypass its influence.
He argued that the organisation’s credibility was being eroded by the gap between its declarations and actions and positioned Nigeria’s economic transformation as a model for developing countries.
“For all our careful diplomatic language, the slow pace of progress on these long-standing issues has caused many to lose faith in multilateralism,” he said. “I noticed years ago that key events were starting to take place outside this hall, and the most sought-after voices were no longer heads of state.”
Tinubu outlined four major reform priorities, beginning with Nigeria’s call for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.