President Bola Tinubu will not attend the 79th United Nations General Assembly session in New York this year.

The President has directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this through a statement in Abuja on Thursday.

The statement noted that President Tinubu, who returned to the country last Sunday after his trip to China and the United Kingdom, wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding in parts of the country.

At UNGA 79, Vice President Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement to the General Assembly, attend important sideline events, and hold bilateral meetings.

The high-level General Debate, with the theme, ‘Leaving no one behind Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations,’ will run from Tuesday, September 24, through Saturday, September 28, 2024.

African Voices Playmakers, CNN International’s magazine programme, will this week host world renowned playwright, dramatist, poet and rights activist, Professor Wole Soyinka. The 30-minute programme is sponsored by digital solutions provider, Globacom.

The Nobel Laureate will be sharing details of the values, the ideologies and the passion that formed the foundation of his enviable life and career.

This week’s edition commemorates Professor Oluwole Akinwande Soyinka’s 90th birthday, having been born on July 13, 1934 in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

He will also regale viewers with the details of his extraordinary activism which birthed his literary works. A movie which highlights  his political incarceration in Nigeria is billed for release this year.

Having gained international repute through his books in prose, poetry and drama, Soyinka became the first African writer to win  the Nobel Laureate in Literature in 1986 for his “wide cultural perspective and… poetic overtones fashioning the drama of existence”.

As a student of the University College, Ibadan, now known as the University of Ibadan, his artistic talents had been noticeable. He later gained admission to the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom for a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature.

Added to his Nobel Prize, Soyinka also got  the Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature in 1990; Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award in 2009; Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, Lifetime Achievement, 2012, and the Europe Theatre Prize, Special Prize, 2017.

In his honour at 90, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu renamed the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, him.

The programme will be broadcast at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday on DSTV Channel 401. Repeats will be broadcast the same Saturday at noon; Sunday at 4.30 a.m. and 7.00 p.m.; and on Monday at 4.00 a.m. Repeats will be on Saturday next week at 8.30 a.m. and 12 noon and on Sunday at 4.30 a.m. and 7.00 p.m.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are said to be secretly preparing for wearing the crowns as King Charles has reportedly decided to leave the throne for his eldest son amid worsening health challenge.

The Prince of Wales, heir to the throne, is ‘quietly preparing’ to become the new king as the monarch’s increasingly ailing condition is causing huge alarm inside the Palace, according to a news report.

The King is being asked to delegate more responsibility to Prince William, the local media reported.

“William is just as worried about his father and wants to take as much pressure off him as he can. Kate’s still being eased in, but she’s made it clear she’s keen to step up as much as possible,” according to the insider.

“It’s clear to everyone that William and Kate are quietly preparing to be king and queen themselves, and it’s only a matter of time before Charles formally hands it all over.”

“He’s already started the process and is delegating a lot more, which is why you’re seeing William’s schedule getting a lot busier.”

The Palace insider claimed: “Queen Camilla is convinced Charles is a workaholic and she’s pushing him to slow down and focus on his health.”

King Charles, who had been put on light duty following the diagnosis, has returned to his royal engagements and in September.

Queen Camilla reportedly said her husband “is doing very well,” while attending the opening of the new state-of-the-art Dyson Cancer Center at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, England.

While the King and Queen are putting on a brave face, a second insider previously told the outlet things may be more grim behind the scenes, adding: “The palace is giving the impression that Charles is on the mend, but he’s still very sick.”

William has been slowly stepping up and preparing himself to replace dad, even as Princess Kate recovers from cancer too as she announced on September 9 that she has completed preventative chemotherapy.