President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to shun this year’s United Nations General Assembly has inspired mixed reactions from Nigerians.
The President in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on Thursday, directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead the Nigerian delegation to the assembly.
The statement noted that Mr Tinubu “wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding.
At UNGA 79, Vice President Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement to the General Assembly, attend important sideline events, and hold bilateral meetings”, the statement added.
UNGA is scheduled to run from Tuesday, September 24 to Saturday, September 28, 2024, with the theme ‘Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations’.
Reacting to the development via his social media handle, the human rights activist and presidential candidate of African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, blamed the president’s withdrawal on deteriorating health.
“Tinubu will skip #UNGA; after the Chinese trip and London medicals, this man can’t move any more! @officialABAT is unfit and unwell. Nigeria is not going to make progress with these types. Our people were on the ground in New York to confront Tinubu and his crew”, Sowore noted.
Several other Nigerians on the platform have questioned the president’s decision, asking him to face the real work for which he was elected.
AS MUDI wrote: “PBAT has been junketing from one country to another, he needs to sit up and address the current economic crisis in the country. SME are closing, many family men are turn to beggars.”
“If he is incapacitated by sickness, he should make way, Nigeria is sinking. We learnt he just returned from a medical trip”, Josse Tov lamented.
Okanga Ijele, “Why is he running away? We’re the domestic issues not there when he absconded to China and UK?”
Hart Esosa said: “On a global level we sadly have nothing to offer to the developed world. We always beg for investors with cheap labor arguement yes but cheap labor is also an insult to us as a people. The cheap labor is canceled with bad road, electricity, bad transition of govt, poor security!”
“This is a dereliction of duty. Is Tinubu well, so? This is a first in nigeria. At no time in nigeria history had a VP stood in for President at #UNGA. The truth shall eventually come out”, Daily Justice said.
Recall that Tinubu’s health became subject of discussion last year as several people, including the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had questioned Tinubu’s ability to lead the country and asked him to resign.
However, the All Progressive Congress had on several occasions defended the president, claiming that leading the country was not equivalent to fighting a war.
