Nigeria’s Bande Takes Over As UN President

Nigeria’s Tijjani Muhammad Bande has taken over from Ms Maria Espinosa as the President of the 74th United Nations General Assembly.

Naija News reports that Espinosa handed over to Bande in a ceremony held inside the General Assembly Hall of the UN headquarters in New York which marked the end of the 73rd session.

The 74th session, which will last for one year, will formally begin on Tuesday with the inauguration of Muhammad-Bande.

Muhammad Bande is the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN.

The handover ceremony was witnessed by top officials of the UN-led by the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.

Nigerian officials, including a presidential team, comprising the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr Ahmed Abubakar, and presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, also witnessed the ceremony, NAN reports.

Speaking at the ceremony, the UN Secretary-General, Guterres described Espinosa as a “champion for multilateralism”, who made the UN “relevant to all”.

He said: “I commend her ambitious priorities for this session, which addressed crucial matters of international impact and concern.

“These include gender equality, migration and refugees, decent work for all, environmental protection, the rights of people with disabilities, promoting the voices of young people to advance peace and security, and revitalising the work of the United Nations.

“The commitment of Espinosa to the environment especially ending plastic pollution also stands out.”