Nigeria Gets Front Row Seat At UN As Tinubu Stays Away

(Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim. Photo by Arise News)

Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, has said he deserves commendation for securing a front row position for Nigeria at the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

He spoke while defending his earlier claim that President Bola Tinubu would sit very close to US President Donald Trump at the event in New York.

Tinubu did not attend in the end, and Vice President Kashim Shettima led the Nigerian delegation in his place.

Speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, Ibrahim said Trump also did not stay in his seat.

He said the US president sat in the 27th seat, far from Nigeria, then gave his speech and left.

Nigeria, he said, was given the sixth seat in the front row, which he called a big diplomatic win.

On Tinubu's absence, Ibrahim said he chairs the budget and administration committee and so saw the speaking list this year.

He said about 60 percent of the speakers were represented by foreign ministers or vice presidents instead of heads of state.

He asked if Tinubu should board a plane to New York just to speak for 15 minutes.

He also pointed out that leaders from countries like Kenya, South Africa, China and Russia were absent too.

Ibrahim said Nigerians should thank him and praise his effort, since he said Nigeria would be in the first seat and it was.

He added that it is not easy for a country to sit at number six in the front row when others sit at number 193, and asked how he managed it.