The Presidency has dismissed suggestions that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has strained relations with the United States following his decision to miss the United Nations General Assembly for the third consecutive year.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, Ademola Osodi, described the suggestion as an “old chestnut,” insisting that Tinubu has travelled to the United States on several occasions.
Osodi spoke while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he defended the President’s decision not to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
According to him, Tinubu had previously attended the UN General Assembly and undertaken other engagements in the United States.
“I was with the President when he went to the United Nations; physically I was there, you saw it on social media. He went to the stock exchange, he rang the bell, he had meetings on the side,” Osodi said.
He also recalled that the President recently transited through Los Angeles on his way to Japan, where he attended engagements linked to Nigeria’s international relations.
“Even in more recent times, I think last year, we transited Los Angeles on our way to Japan for the Japanese Development Agency,” he said.
“We were in Los Angeles for a few days before we flew to Yokohama, Japan. We were in America, I was there with them. So it is politics, we can talk about this every single election cycle, it is just politics,” Osodi added.
The comments followed criticism of Tinubu’s decision to skip the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, with Vice President Kashim Shettima designated to represent Nigeria and lead the country’s delegation.
Explaining the President’s absence, Osodi said Tinubu was concentrating on domestic priorities, particularly the economy and security, while maintaining that Nigeria’s international engagements remained active.
He noted that Nigeria belonged to several regional, continental and international groupings and therefore its diplomatic interests were not limited to the United Nations.
“Nigeria has a diverse interest in all regional groups, continental groups and even groups of the South-South like the BRICS. So, the United Nations is not the only group that we are member of,” Osodi said.
He maintained that the President’s absence from the UN General Assembly should not be interpreted as evidence of strained relations between Nigeria and the United States.
