Highlighting Nigeria’s contributions to global peace, Tinubu pointed to its history of peacekeeping missions in various African countries.
By Kehinde Okeowo
President Bola Tinubu has argued that for the world to achieve progress and lasting peace, especially in Africa, the United Nations must embark on comprehensive reforms that integrate the African continent.
He made the call at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, through Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who represented him.
President Tinubu, in his speech, argued that the current global power structure no longer reflects modern realities, and demanded that the Security Council be restructured to grant Africa permanent representation.
He said, “The reform of this institution must begin with the reconstitution of the Security Council, for the world of 2026 cannot remain captive to the distribution of power in 1945.
“Africa cannot continue to fill the Council’s agenda while remaining absent from its permanent membership.”
In line with the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, the Nigerian president also asked for at least two permanent seats for Africa, with full rights and responsibilities, including veto powers for as long as the privilege exists.
ALSO READ: ‘I have quit partisan politics’ – Kingsley Moghalu explains Atiku’s snub
Tinubu further called for five non-permanent seats for the continent.
“Nigeria demands, in accordance with the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, at least two permanent seats for Africa, with all the rights and responsibilities of permanent membership, including the veto for as long as it exists, and five non-permanent seats in total. The authority to speak for humanity carries an obligation to represent it,” he added.
He also urged world leaders to end ongoing conflicts and reject rising nationalism, warning that the global order is under serious strain.
“The persistence of conflict across the world recalls the purpose for which the United Nations was founded: to spare succeeding generations the devastation of war. We must therefore return to the founding principles of dialogue, mutual respect and collective responsibility.
“Nigeria stands by the Charter and its promise of a world in which diplomacy prevails over coercion, co-operation over isolation and international law over the arbitrary exercise of power,” Tinubu stated.
The President stressed that no country is immune to the consequences of global instability, noting that distant conflicts often have far-reaching effects on other nations.
Highlighting Nigeria’s role in promoting peace across Africa, Tinubu pointed to the country’s contributions to peacekeeping missions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Mali and The Gambia.
“Through ECOWAS, the African Union and our Gulf of Guinea partnerships, we continue to advance mediation, democratic governance, counter-terrorism and maritime security,” he said.
