Nigeria’s Tijjani Muhammad-Bande elected UNGA President

Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, has emerged as President of the 74th UN General Assembly.

Muhammad-Bande, who was the sole candidate for the position, was elected on Tuesday at the 87th plenary meeting of the Assembly in New York, the United States.

He is the second Nigerian to hold the office after the retired military officer and diplomat, Joseph Garba, and former permanent representative to the UN, Professor Joy Ogwu.

Ambassador Muhammad-Bande will in September take over from Mara Espinosa Garcs of Ecuador who was the 73rd president of the UNGA.

President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him as Nigerias representative to the UN on March 31, 2018.

During her recent visit to Nigeria, Garcs had hinted that the Nigerian would be elected to the UNGA presidency.