 |
| Vice President, Shettima. |
The federal government on Wednesday renewed its call for Nigeria to be granted a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, describing it as part of a broader institutional reform. It is based on Nigeria’s rising population, its role in promoting regional stability, and its consistent participation in global peacekeeping missions.
Meanwhile, the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, urged an end to the “weaponisation” of trade, stating that fluctuations in trade policy were negatively affecting the global economy.
During the general debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held in New York City, United States, President Bola Tinubu stated that Nigeria’s population had surpassed 200 million, and that its military had been involved in 51 out of the 60 United Nations peacekeeping missions since the country gained independence in 1960.
President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, also emphasised the need for immediate efforts to secure sovereign debt relief and to facilitate access to financing and trade for developing economies. He recommended the introduction of a new, binding structure to manage sovereign debt.
He stressed that countries rich in minerals must benefit fairly from these resources through investment, partnerships, local processing, and employment. Additionally, he proposed a dedicated initiative to unite researchers, the private sector, governments, and local communities in bridging the digital gap and enhancing technology access.
He stated, “The United Nations will recover its relevance only when it reflects the world as it is, not as it was. Nigeria’s journey tells this story with clarity. When the UN was founded, we were a colony of 20 million people, absent from the tables where decisions about our fate were taken; today, we are a sovereign nation of over 236 million, projected to be the third most populous country in the world, with one of the youngest and most dynamic populations on earth.”
He continued, “A stabilising force in regional security and a consistent partner in global peacekeeping, our case for a permanent seat at the Security Council is a demand for fairness, for representation, and for reform that restores credibility to the very institution upon which the hope of multilateralism rests.”
He explained further, “This is why Nigeria stands firmly behind the UN80 Initiative of the Secretary-General, and the resolution adopted by this Assembly on 18 July 2025, a bold step to reform the wider United Nations system for greater relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness in the face of unprecedented financial strain. We support the drive to rationalise structures and end the duplication of responsibilities and programmes, so that this institution may speak with one voice and act with greater coherence.”
President Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s dedication to peace, progress, unity, international cooperation, and human rights. He highlighted the necessity of collective efforts and mutual support in addressing global problems.
He also condemned the continued Israeli offensive in Gaza and advocated for the adoption of a two-state solution through the recognition of the State of Palestine as a viable resolution to the ongoing conflict in the region.
President Tinubu remarked, “We are despised by terrorists because we choose tolerance over tyranny. Their ambition is to divide us and to poison our humanity with a toxic rhetoric of hate. Our difference is the distance between shadow and light, between despair and hope, between the ruin of anarchy and the promise of order. We not only fight wars, but we also feed and shelter the innocent victims of war. This is why we are not indifferent to the devastations of our neighbours, near and distant.”
He added, “This is why we speak of the violence and aggression visited upon innocent civilians in Gaza, the illegal attack on Qatar, and the tensions that scar the wider region. It is not only because of the culture of impunity that makes such acts intolerable but because our own bitter experience has taught us that such violence never ends where it begins.”
He stated, “We do not believe that the sanctity of human life should be trapped in the corridors of endless debate. That is why we say, without stuttering and without doubt, that a two-state solution remains the most dignified path to lasting peace for the people of Palestine. For too long, this community has borne the weight of moral conflict.”
He concluded, “For too long, we have been caught in the crossfire of violence that offends the conscience of humanity. We come not as partisans but as peacemakers. We come as brothers and sisters of a shared world, a world that must never reduce the right to live into the currency of devious politics. The people of Palestine are not collateral damage in a civilisation searching for order. They are human beings, equal in worth, entitled to the same freedoms and dignities that the rest of us take for granted.”
.jpeg)
0 Comments
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed on this platform as comments were freely made by each person under his or her own volition or responsibility and were neither suggested nor dictated by the owners of News PLATFORM or any of their contracted staff. So we take no liability whatsoever for such comments.
Please take note!