Nigeria has renewed its demand for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, insisting that true reform of the global body must reflect today’s realities rather than the world of 1945.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who delivered Nigeria’s national statement on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, said Nigeria’s case was rooted in fairness, representation, and credibility.
“The United Nations will only recover its relevance when it reflects the world as it is, not as it was. Nigeria’s demand for a permanent Security Council seat is a demand for fairness, for representation, and for reform that restores credibility to multilateralism,” Shettima declared.
The Vice President highlighted four key priorities for global reform: securing Nigeria’s permanent seat on the UN Security Council, urgent sovereign debt relief and improved access to trade and financing, ensuring mineral-rich nations benefit fairly from their resources, and bridging the global digital divide.
He warned that the slow pace of reform risks eroding faith in the multilateral system, noting that “key events are already beginning to take place outside this hall, and the most sought-after voices are no longer heads of state.”
On global peace and security, Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s long-standing role in UN peacekeeping, with participation in 51 out of 60 missions since independence. He stressed that “military tactics may win battles, but in wars that span generations, it is values and ideas that deliver the ultimate victory.”
The Vice President also restated Nigeria’s unwavering support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, condemned violence against civilians and urging the UN to move beyond “endless debate” to concrete action.
Turning to economic reforms, Shettima called for the establishment of a new binding mechanism to manage sovereign debt “a sort of International Court of Justice for money” to help emerging economies escape dependency on unprocessed exports. He also urged fairer benefit-sharing from strategic minerals, citing lessons from Nigeria’s Niger Delta.
On technology, the Vice President warned of the dangers of fake news and disinformation but pressed for global cooperation to close the digital divide. “As our friend the Secretary-General has said: A.I. must stand for ‘Africa Included,’” he emphasized.
Shettima concluded by reaffirming Nigeria’s full commitment to peace, development, unity, and the defence of human rights. “For none of us is safe until all of us are safe,” he said, stressed that only bold reforms would restore faith in the UN’s mission.
