President Bola Tinubu yesterday demanded a fundamental restructuring of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) declaring that Africa could no longer continue to shape the council’s agenda without having permanent representation at the highest level of the global body.
Tinubu, in his address to the General Debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, called for 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, as well as five non-permanent seats for the continent.
The President’s statement was delivered on his behalf by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented him at the General Debate themed: “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.”
Tinubu said the composition of the security council must reflect the realities of the contemporary world rather than preserve the distribution of power established at the end of the Second World War.
“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,” the Nigerian leader argued.
The President said Nigeria’s demand was anchored on the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, adding that greater African representation must come with both the authority and responsibilities attached to permanent membership.
“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 pointed out.
Tinubu also used the address to outline Nigeria’s wider position on global security, development, climate change, technology, financing and African economic integration, insisting that international institutions must evolve to respond to contemporary challenges.
He said Nigeria was prepared to assume greater responsibility in international peace and security, citing its historical contributions to peace efforts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Mali and The Gambia.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s role through the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) and Gulf of Guinea partnerships in mediation, democratic governance, counter-terrorism and maritime security.
The President linked Nigeria’s foreign policy to its domestic economic reforms, saying the country was pursuing sound macroeconomic management, stronger institutions, private-sector development and strategic public investment.
According to him, national development could not be separated from Africa’s progress or Nigeria’s responsibility to contribute to a peaceful and prosperous international system.
On climate change, Tinubu rejected what he described as a false choice between development and climate action, arguing that developing countries must be allowed to industrialise, eradicate poverty and expand energy access through low-carbon pathways.
He noted that Africa contributes less than 4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions but bears disproportionate consequences from climate change.
Nigeria, he said, remained committed to the Paris Agreement and to an equitable energy transition that took account of historical responsibility and the varying capacities of countries while protecting the right to development.
Under Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, he said, the country was working towards net-zero emissions by 2060 while expanding access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy.
He said Nigeria’s approach combined renewable energy, clean cooking and gas as a transitional fuel with climate-smart agriculture and nature-based solutions.
Tinubu called for international climate finance to be based on equity and shared responsibility rather than charity, urging the international community to translate its commitments into accessible, predictable and adequately funded mechanisms for developing countries.
On artificial intelligence, the President called for a more constructive approach to the technology, arguing that its impact would depend on how it was developed and deployed.
He said Nigeria was investing in digital public infrastructure, broadband connectivity, innovation ecosystems, research institutions and technology entrepreneurship.
Tinubu invited international partners to work with Nigeria’s young people to direct artificial intelligence towards healthcare, education, agriculture, governance and economic productivity rather than destructive purposes.
The President also identified inadequate financing as one of the major obstacles to sustainable development in developing countries.
He said many developing countries were devoting substantial resources to debt servicing at the expense of education, healthcare and infrastructure, prompting Nigeria to call for reform of the international financial architecture.
He sought wider access to concessional financing and debt sustainability frameworks that recognised the developmental needs of poorer countries.
Nigeria, he added, supported innovative financing through private capital, blended finance, South-South cooperation and strategic partnerships for sustainable development, climate adaptation and resilient infrastructure.
On African economic integration, Tinubu described the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA)as one of the continent’s most transformative opportunities. He said AfCFTA could strengthen regional value chains, expand intra-African trade, promote industrialisation and attract investment, while urging Africa to move beyond its traditional role as an exporter of raw materials.
“Africa must move beyond its historical role as an exporter of raw materials towards greater value addition, manufacturing, technological innovation and knowledge-driven growth,” he said. Our abundant natural resources must become engines of shared prosperity rather than sources of perpetual dependency,” he maintained.
On security, Tinubu said terrorism, organised crime, cyberattacks and illicit finance were exploiting gaps between national responses, stressing that Nigeria’s prolonged struggle against Boko Haram, ISWAP and other armed groups had demonstrated that military victories alone could not secure lasting peace.
He said sustainable security required investment in education, economic opportunity, accountable governance and communities whose rights and dignity were protected.
Tinubu called for greater intelligence sharing, stronger institutional capacity and coordinated action to disrupt the financing of violence and prevent the movement of weapons across borders.
He also pointed to the crisis in the Sahel as evidence of how insecurity in one country could destabilise neighbouring states, displace populations and undermine commerce, regional integration and democratic governance.
On ongoing conflicts, the President said Nigeria remained committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes under the UN Charter and called for urgent diplomacy to address the humanitarian, economic and geopolitical consequences of the war in Sudan and other conflict zones.
He urged all parties to uphold international humanitarian and human rights law, protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian access.
Tinubu said negotiated settlements must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding that no claim to security could justify starving children, denying relief to civilians or erasing communities from their homes.
He argued that diplomacy, dialogue, reconciliation and inclusive political processes must remain central to resolving conflicts, urging the UN to strengthen peacekeeping while devoting greater attention to peacebuilding, mediation, institution-building and sustainable development.
The President declared Nigeria’s commitment to cooperation, dialogue and partnership in addressing global challenges, insisting that Africa’s resilience, youthful population, natural resources and expanding markets could make the continent a major driver of global growth, but stressed that this required international institutions capable of adapting to contemporary realities.
“Institutions that adapt preserve their relevance; those that resist change imperil it,” Tinubu said.
He called for a reformed, inclusive and effective United Nations, arguing that restoring trust required countries to honour their obligations to one another and manage global change 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,” he said.
(FROM: THISDAY)
