Nigeria Sends Junior Foreign Minister to Russia‑Africa Summit Amidst Ongoing Election Campaign

Nigeria will not be represented at the summit by its president, vice president, or foreign minister.

The Russia‑Africa summit is taking place in Moscow, with numerous African nations attending. The gathering is widely seen as an effort by President Vladimir Putin to broaden Russia’s influence across the continent.

Top African leaders—including presidents, vice presidents, prime ministers and heads of state—are present, each representing their nation’s interests. Their attendance highlights the strategic value these countries attach to ties with Russia. Nations represented at the highest level include Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Mali and Ethiopia.

Nigeria’s delegation will not include the president, vice president, or even the foreign minister. Instead, the country is represented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, who travelled to Moscow the night before the two‑day summit commenced.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has a practice of sending Vice President Kashim Shettima to represent Nigeria at major international gatherings. For instance, Mr Tinubu has not attended any United Nations General Assembly meeting since taking office, delegating those duties to his deputy. The administration has cited several reasons for this pattern of delegation, including the need to focus on pressing domestic challenges, national security concerns and economic priorities.

Nevertheless, despite the vice president’s presence in Nigeria, President Tinubu did not designate him to lead the delegation to the Russia‑Africa summit.

The next most senior official who could head the delegation is Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu‑Ojukwu, yet she is also absent from Moscow for the summit.

PREMIUM TIMES has learned that Mr Enikanolaiye was chosen to represent Nigeria because Mrs Odumegwu‑Ojukwu is reportedly occupied with other duties.

The foreign ministry’s spokesperson, Magnus Eze, said that Mrs Odumegwu‑Ojukwu had intended to attend the summit but was pulled out at the last minute.

“The minister was assigned to another duty. Because of its significance, the minister of state was sent to represent the country in her stead. The Minister of State is in Moscow representing Nigeria,” he stated.

Mr Enikanolaiye’s spokesperson, Richard Elesho, also confirmed the arrangement.

Trade and security dominate the summit’s agenda. On Wednesday, President Putin told African leaders that Russia offers a better partnership than the colonial West, which he accused of still seeking to exploit the continent’s resources and using debt to impede development.

“Africa is increasingly asserting itself as a key player in the global economy and politics.

“However, the emergence of a multipolar world is no easy task; it faces resistance from countries unwilling to accept this reality—those habituated to thinking in terms of their colonial past and to enriching themselves fabulously,” he added.

Did Vice President Shettima Plan to Attend?

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Russia, Joseph Iji, had previously announced that Vice President Kashim Shettima would attend the summit.

He indicated that Mr Shettima would lead the Nigerian government delegation.

“The Vice President of Nigeria will lead the government delegation. We aim to deepen our relations with Russia and Russian businesses,” he was quoted by the African Initiative as saying.

The presidency offered no explanation for why Nigeria’s representation was downgraded 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.

When asked to confirm whether the vice president was to lead the delegation, Mr Nkwocha directed PREMIUM TIMES to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

PREMIUM TIMES also contacted the ministry’s spokesperson, Olufemi Adeniyi, but had not received a reply by the time of publication.

Nevertheless, the foreign ministry’s spokesperson, Mr Eze, confirmed that the vice president was indeed slated to lead the delegation, which had originally been expected to include Mrs Odumegwu‑Ojukwu.

He added that he could not determine whether the vice president was still leading the delegation because he ceased tracking the matter after Mr Enikanolaiye replaced the minister as the ministry’s representative.

He noted that Mr Enikanolaiye travelled with his delegation.

Possible reasons for the reduced delegation

Although the presidency did not provide a definitive explanation for the downgraded representation, there are plausible factors. Campaign activities for the January 2027 presidential election have already started, and the ruling party has launched its campaign trail. Both President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima were in Kaduna on Saturday to kick off the campaign and are expected to play central roles. The president has indicated he will join campaign events in 12 states, while the vice president is slated to appear in even more.

Another plausible reason is Nigeria’s growing alignment with the United States, which may have influenced the decision to send a lower‑profile delegation to the Russian summit. Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s erroneous claim last year of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, the Nigerian government has taken steps to ease tensions and strengthen ties with the U.S. administration. This rapprochement has resulted in enhanced bilateral relations, including joint security operations.

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