Nigeria's Diplomatic Blunders: The Case of Jimoh Ibrahim

Jimoh Ibrahim presenting the UN Budget to President Tinubu in Abuja

Ibrahim is a disaster waiting to happen. In my July column titled “Jimoh Ibrahim is uninformed: UN intervenes in nation’s internal affairs,” I had mentioned that his understanding of diplomacy is weak. I advised him to read the UN Charter and its main resolutions. I also noted that he seems to ignore good advice. I suggested he listen to our career ambassadors at the UN. If he had done so, he might not continue staging ridiculous drama at the world body.

This week, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was part of the latest absurd show put on by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Folorunsho Ibrahim. This event took place at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, where, on 19 October, Ibrahim presented the seven-volume UN 2027 draft budget to President Tinubu. Ibrahim kicked off this comedy with a big lie. He claimed: “This is the first time in 66 years that Nigeria will chair the Budget and Administration Committee. It is the first time, and we do not know when it will happen again in history.” This claim is false. The first time Nigeria chaired the UN Budget and Administration Committee was on 22 September, 1971. This fact is confirmed by UN records, including digitallibrary.un.org. At that time, Ibrahim was just a four-year-old boy.

So, while Ibrahim claims Nigeria waited 66 years after independence to chair the UN Budget Committee, the truth is it happened just eleven years after independence. Ibrahim then followed this with another false claim: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is making history by being able to receive this budget. He is the first Nigerian president in 66 years to receive the UN budget from the United Nations.” Let’s hope Tinubu is the first and last president to go through this absurdity. The UN draft budget is not Nigeria’s budget. It belongs to the 193 Member countries of the UN and will be discussed at the UN Headquarters in New York, not at the Nigerian Presidency. So, what does Ibrahim expect Tinubu to do with these seven volumes? Sit down and read them? For what purpose? Can Tinubu amend, audit, veto, or pass the UN budget? Why should Ibrahim’s stunt bring Nigeria international shame?

All ambassadors report to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Did Ibrahim consult Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu before presenting the unofficial UN budget to President Tinubu? Did she approve his trip to Abuja? If she did, did the Foreign Ministry even agree to this charade?

This is the second time in three months that Ibrahim has embarrassed Nigeria. In July 2026, he held a press conference and said: “President Tinubu will be sitting very close to Donald Trump in the front row of the United Nations General Assembly. Don’t ask me how that was arranged, but he will be sitting.” He made it sound like the UN is a corrupt place where seats can be bought. Also, he suggested that it would be a rare honor for Tinubu to sit near Trump. Ibrahim’s claims about the seating at the UN are wrong. For UNGA meetings, seating arrangements are done alphabetically by each country's English name. The first position is chosen through a random lottery where the UN Secretary-General picks a Member State from a box. The selected country gets the first seat in the hall, which is the far right of the front row from the podium. After that, the remaining 192 countries are seated around the hall, with each having six seats: three for delegates and three for alternates.

This seating plan lasts for one year and applies to all formal meetings of the UN Committees. This month, when I was at the UN to advocate for the complete decolonisation of Western Sahara, I had the chance to visit the UNGA Hall.

Therefore, Nigeria already had its assigned sixth position in the front row of the General Assembly chamber for the 2026 UNGA before Ibrahim appeared at the Presidential Villa claiming he had a special seat for Tinubu near Trump. So, when Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing Tinubu at UNGA 2026, sat in the sixth position and Ibrahim called it a significant diplomatic victory, it was untrue.

The UN seating system follows the UN principles of the equal standing of states. No country has a permanent front-row seat. Nigeria has a rich history in diplomacy. As far back as 1486, that is 540 years ago, the Benin Kingdom, under Oba Ozolua in present-day Edo State, had an ambassador at the Court of King John II of Portugal. In 1526, Benin, under Oba Esigie, had an ambassador to Europe and even an embassy building in Lisbon. In return, Portugal sent ambassadors to the Benin Oba’s Court. The Itsekiri Kingdom in current Delta State also had accredited ambassadors to the Vatican and European Courts. So, if areas now part of Nigeria had ambassadors to Europe over five centuries ago, it is sad we present Nigeria today as a country lacking diplomatic knowledge or experience.

It is truly shameful that a country with great Permanent Representatives to the UN, like Chief Simeon Adebo, Emeka Anyaoku, Ibrahim Gambari, and Joseph Garba, would choose Jimoh Ibrahim for such a key position as Nigeria’s face at the world assembly.

Ibrahim is a disaster waiting to happen. In my July column titled “Jimoh Ibrahim is uninformed: UN intervenes in nation’s internal affairs,” I had mentioned that his understanding of diplomacy is weak. I advised him to read the UN Charter and its main resolutions. I also noted that he seems to ignore good advice. I suggested he listen to our career ambassadors at the UN. If he had done so, he might not continue staging ridiculous drama at the world body. But this is not just about Jimoh Ibrahim, who will eventually leave. It is about our country. I believe the Foreign Ministry and our foreign ministers should properly supervise our ambassadors, especially the non-career ones like Jimoh Ibrahim, who may lack experience in diplomacy. We should ensure that those appointed or sent to foreign missions are knowledgeable, willing to learn, and respectable.

I have heard it said a few times that President Tinubu is his own foreign minister. No! This was also said about President Muhammadu Buhari, and it turned out disastrous. President Tinubu should focus on the welfare and security of Nigerians and allow the Foreign Ministry and the foreign ministers he has chosen to manage our international affairs.