Shettima returns to Nigeria after representing Tinubu at UNGA 81
Vice President Kashim Shettima
Abdullateef Fowewe
Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Nigeria after leading the country’s delegation at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to a State House press release issued on September 28, 2026.
Shettima departed Abuja on September 20 with the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. During the visit, he delivered the President’s National Statement at the General Debate.
“Nigeria renewed its call for reform of the UN Security Council, demanding permanent African representation, fairer global financing, stronger climate support and deeper multilateral cooperation,” the statement said.
The Vice President also took part in the Third High-Level Roundtable of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, where President Tinubu urged African countries “to move beyond raw mineral exports towards processing, manufacturing and value addition.”
At a high-level education financing event co-hosted by Nigeria and Italy, Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to education “as a critical investment in productivity, human capital and national prosperity,” while supporting the Global Partnership for Education’s $5 billion financing campaign.
He met with Nigerians in the Diaspora, stressing the importance of their “investment, expertise and networks to national development,” and held discussions with the new leadership of the ECOWAS Commission as well as UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed.
Across the engagements, Shettima advanced Nigeria’s positions on development financing, regional integration, economic cooperation, technology, peace and security, “while reaffirming President Tinubu’s call for a more representative and equitable global order.”
