Nigeria is represented by neither its president, vice president, nor its foreign minister.
The Russia-Africa summit is ongoing in Moscow, with numerous African states in attendance for what has been described as an attempt by President Vladimir Putin to expand Russia’s footprint on the continent.
Several top African leaders are present, including presidents, vice presidents, prime ministers, and heads of state, each representing their country’s interests and underscoring the importance nations place on relations with Russia. Some African countries represented by their heads of government include Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Mali, and Ethiopia.
Nigeria, however, is represented by neither its president, vice president, nor even its substantive foreign minister. Instead, the country is represented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye. Mr. Enikanolaiye and the government delegation left for Russia the night before the two-day event began on Wednesday.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has established a pattern of delegating important international engagements to Vice President Kashim Shettima. For example, the Nigerian leader has not attended any UN General Assembly meeting since assuming office, opting instead to be represented by his deputy. Various reasons have been cited for this, including prioritizing urgent domestic challenges, national security, and economic issues.
However, even though the Vice President is in the country, Mr. Tinubu did not ask him to lead the Nigerian delegation to the Russia-Africa summit.
The next most senior official who could have led the delegation is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu. Yet, she is also absent from Moscow.
*PREMIUM TIMES* gathered that Mr. Enikanolaiye was assigned to represent the country because Mrs. Odumegwu-Ojukwu was reportedly occupied with other state assignments.
The minister’s spokesperson, Magnus Eze, told this paper that Mrs. Odumegwu-Ojukwu had initially planned to attend the event until a last-minute change of plans.
“The minister was assigned to another assignment. But because of its importance, the Minister of State was assigned to represent the country in her place,” he said.
Mr. Enikanolaiye’s spokesperson, Richard Elesho, also confirmed the development.
Trade and security top the summit’s agenda. On Wednesday, President Putin told African leaders that Russia was a superior partner compared to the colonial West, which he accused of still trying to exploit the continent’s resources and using debt to hold back development.
“Africa is increasingly asserting itself as one of the key players in the global economy and politics,” Mr. Putin said. “However, the emergence of a multipolar world is, of course, no easy task; it faces resistance from countries that are not prepared to accept this reality: those who are accustomed to thinking in terms of their colonial past and to enriching themselves fabulously.”
### Was Shettima Supposed to Attend?
The Nigerian Ambassador to Russia, Joseph Iji, had earlier announced that Vice President Kashim Shettima would lead the government delegation to the summit to deepen bilateral relations with Russia and Russian businesses.
The Presidency, however, has not explained why Nigeria downgraded its representation from the Vice President to a junior minister.
When *PREMIUM TIMES* contacted Mr. Shettima’s spokesperson, Stanley Nkwocha, he appeared unaware of the reported plans for the Vice President to lead the delegation, directing inquiries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Efforts to reach the ministry’s spokesperson, Olufemi Adeniyi, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
However, Mr. Eze, the foreign minister’s spokesperson, confirmed that the Vice President was indeed originally scheduled to lead the delegation, alongside Mrs. Odumegwu-Ojukwu. He added that he could not confirm whether the Vice President was ever formally slated to travel, as he stopped following developments once Mr. Enikanolaiye was named to represent the ministry.
### Possible Reasons for the Downgrade
Although the Presidency has not provided a definitive reason for downgrading Nigeria’s representation, several plausible factors exist.
Campaigns for the January 2027 presidential election are underway, and the ruling party has officially launched its bid. Messrs. Tinubu and Shettima were both in Kaduna on Saturday for the campaign launch and are expected to play pivotal roles moving forward. The President has stated he will join the campaign trail in 12 states, with the Vice President expected to cover even more ground.
Another plausible reason is Nigeria’s increasing diplomatic outreach to the United States. Since U.S. President Donald Trump claimed last year that there was a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, the Nigerian government has taken several steps to ease tensions and warm relations with the U.S. administration, resulting in closer cooperation, including joint security operations.
