Tinubu’s Strategic Absence at UNGA Highlights Diplomatic Savvy Over Trump, Says Ex-NIIA DG

In a recent interview on Channels Television, Professor Bola Akinterinwa, former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), argued that President Bola Tinubu’s absence at the 79th and 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) sessions is a demonstration of strategic diplomacy rather than weakness. Akinterinwa boldly stated that Tinubu is at least as intelligent, if not smarter, than former U.S. President Donald Trump, describing Tinubu as more cautious and calculated in his international engagements.

Addressing criticisms of Tinubu skipping UNGA, the former NIIA chief explained that global diplomacy operates within strict hierarchies and protocol. “Water finds its own level in diplomacy,” Akinterinwa said. He pointed out that since Vice President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at these sessions, it limits direct interaction with sovereign leaders. This, he suggested, is a common diplomatic nuance often misunderstood by the public.

Akinterinwa further differentiated Tinubu’s approach from the unpredictable nature of Donald Trump, whose “after-action” thinking and confrontational style, he said, could embarrass Nigeria on the global stage. He highlighted that Nigeria’s independent foreign policy direction under Tinubu may not align with Trump’s desired global hierarchy, wherein Trump seeks to be “primus inter pares” (first among equals).

The strategic merit of Tinubu’s absence has also been supported by former presidential aide Reno Omokri, who criticized past Nigerian leaders for attending the UNGA at a high financial cost with limited economic benefit. Omokri emphasized that Tinubu’s government is focusing on impactful international engagements that yield real investments, such as the recent $2.5 billion deal secured at the BRICS Summit in Brazil—a stark contrast to the lack of tangible outcomes from previous continuous UNGA attendances by former President Buhari.

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Tinubu’s foreign policy, dubbed the “4D Diplomacy Strategy”—Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora—places priority on African stability, regional integration, and leveraging Nigeria’s large youthful population for economic diplomacy. Since assuming office in 2023, Tinubu has sought to position Nigeria as a continental superpower through targeted diplomatic and economic initiatives rather than symbolic presence.

This approach explains why Vice President Kashim Shettima has been delegated to represent Nigeria at the UNGA, a move aligned with diplomatic protocol and cost-effectiveness, while Tinubu focuses on strategic bilateral meetings and summits that have yielded investments and reinforced Nigeria’s leadership regionally and globally.

President Tinubu attended the 78th UNGA in 2023 but has since adopted a more strategic presence in global diplomacy, shielding Nigeria from excessive expense and protocol-driven limitations while pursuing results-driven international relations.

This evolving posture marks a shift in Nigeria’s diplomacy, prioritizing strategic economic outcomes and reinforcing the country’s sovereign interests on the international stage. As Akinterinwa concludes, the President’s calculated absence from UNGA exemplifies sophisticated statecraft, positioning Nigeria as a thoughtful and strategic global actor in contrast to the unpredictable style exemplified by Donald Trump.