Nigeria has called for the reform of the United Nations Security Council, demanding 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.
Vice President Kashim Shettima made the demand while addressing the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Shettima, who delivered Nigeria’s statement on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, congratulated the President of the 81st Session of the General Assembly and pledged Nigeria’s full cooperation with the United Nations.
He said the persistence of conflicts across the world underscored the need for the UN to return to its founding principles of dialogue, mutual respect and collective responsibility.
According to him, Nigeria remains committed to the UN Charter and to a world where diplomacy prevails over coercion, cooperation over isolation, and international law over arbitrary exercise of power.
The Vice President said reform of the UN must begin with the reconstitution of the Security Council, arguing that the world of 2026 cannot remain captive to the distribution of power in 1945.
He said Africa could no longer continue to feature prominently on the Council’s agenda while remaining absent from its permanent membership.
“Nigeria demands, in accordance with the Consensus and the 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,” he said.
Shettima said Nigeria was ready to assume greater responsibility based on the obligations it had honoured and sacrifices it had made over decades in the service of peace.
He cited Nigeria’s contributions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali and The Gambia, saying the country had committed personnel and resources when international solidarity required action.
He added that through ECOWAS, the African Union and Gulf of Guinea partnerships, Nigeria continued to advance mediation, democratic governance, counter-terrorism and maritime security.
On the economy, Shettima said Nigeria’s foreign policy was guided by the same conviction underpinning its economic reforms, including sound macroeconomic management, stronger institutions, private-sector development and strategic public investment.
He said the country was seeking to give practical meaning to its sustainable development commitments while linking national advancement to Africa’s progress and its contribution to a peaceful, equitable and prosperous world.
Turning to climate change, the Vice President rejected what he described as a false choice between development and climate action.
He said developing countries must industrialise, eradicate poverty and expand energy access through low-carbon pathways supported by technology transfer, capacity building and climate finance.
Shettima said Africa contributes less than four per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions but faces disproportionate consequences from climate change.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and an equitable energy transition that reflects historical responsibility and capacity while protecting the right to development.
According to him, Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan targets net-zero emissions by 2060 while expanding access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy.
He said the country’s approach combines renewable energy, clean cooking, gas as a transitional fuel, climate-smart agriculture and nature-based solutions.
Shettima also called for climate finance to be governed by equity and shared responsibility rather than charity, with international commitments translated into accessible, predictable and adequately funded mechanisms.
On technology and artificial intelligence, the Vice President said Nigeria would not surrender its technological future to fear.
He said artificial intelligence could either be deployed to wage war or used to transform healthcare, education, agriculture, governance and economic productivity.
Shettima said Nigeria was investing in digital public infrastructure, broadband connectivity, innovation systems, research institutions and technology entrepreneurship.
He urged the international community to work with Nigeria’s young people to direct artificial intelligence towards human advancement rather than destruction.
The Vice President also called for reforms to the international financial architecture, wider access to concessional financing and debt-sustainability frameworks that recognise the developmental needs of developing countries.
He said Nigeria supports innovative financing through private capital, blended finance, South-South cooperation and strategic partnerships for sustainable development, climate adaptation and resilient infrastructure.
On trade, Shettima described the African Continental Free Trade Area as one of the continent’s most transformative opportunities.
He said it could strengthen regional value chains, expand intra-African trade, promote industrialisation and attract investment.
According to him, Africa must move beyond its historical role as an exporter of raw materials towards greater value addition through manufacturing, technological innovation and knowledge-driven growth.
On security, Shettima said no nation, regardless of the strength of its defences, could completely insulate itself from threats sustained beyond its borders.
He identified terrorism, organised crime, cyberattacks and illicit finance as challenges that exploit gaps between national responses.
The Vice President said Nigeria’s prolonged struggle against Boko Haram, ISWAP and other armed groups required more than military victories, stressing the importance of education, economic opportunities, accountable governance and protection of communities.
He said development could not take root while violence repeatedly uprooted livelihoods, adding that injustice and exclusion could replenish the ranks of those who threaten peace.
Shettima called for greater intelligence-sharing, stronger institutional capacity, disruption of terrorist financing and measures to prevent weapons from crossing borders.
He said instability in the Sahel demonstrated how insecurity in one territory could endanger neighbouring countries, displace populations and undermine regional integration and democratic governance.
The Vice President reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to ECOWAS and African leadership in addressing regional security challenges through principled international partnerships.
On conflicts in Sudan and other war-torn countries, Shettima called for urgent diplomacy to address their humanitarian, economic and geopolitical consequences.
He urged all parties to uphold international humanitarian and human rights law, protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian access, while stressing that negotiated settlements must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Shettima said military victories alone could not guarantee lasting peace, calling instead for dialogue, reconciliation and inclusive political processes.
He urged the United Nations to strengthen peacekeeping while giving greater attention to peace-building, mediation, institution-building and sustainable development.
“Prevention must command greater resources and political attention,” he said.
The Vice President said Africa was ready for the future, citing its resilience, ingenuity, youthful population, natural wealth and expanding markets as potential drivers of global growth.
He said the African Continental Free Trade Area offered significant opportunities to deepen regional integration, accelerate industrialisation and strengthen Africa’s position in global value chains.
Shettima said developing countries should be recognised as indispensable partners whose contributions to global solutions and shared prosperity extend beyond their need for assistance.
He called for a United Nations that evolves with the aspirations of present and future generations, warning that institutions that resist change risk losing their relevance.
The Vice President said Nigeria remained optimistic that countries acting with common purpose and determination could overcome obstacles once considered insurmountable.
He said the current generation had both the privilege of shaping the future and the responsibility to answer for it.
Concluding his address, Shettima pledged Nigeria’s commitment to cooperation over confrontation, dialogue over division, hope over fear and partnership over isolation.
He said restoring trust required nations to honour their obligations to one another and manage global changes with justice, wisdom and compassion.
“Whatever our differences, we must remember that humanity is our oldest citizenship, and peace is the inheritance we owe every child,” Shettima said.
Boluwatife Enome
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