Vice President Kashim Shettima has reiterated Nigeria’s demand for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, calling it essential for fairness and global balance.
Addressing the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Shettima said Africa’s underrepresentation at global decision-making platforms undermines the credibility of the UN. He argued that Nigeria’s population size, peacekeeping record, and role in regional stability make its case compelling.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Shettima stressed the need for institutional reforms to strengthen peace, development, and human rights globally. He backed debt relief, better trade access, and fairer benefit-sharing for resource-rich nations. He also pressed for bridging the digital divide, noting that artificial intelligence “must stand for Africa Included.”
Citing Nigeria’s peacekeeping legacy, Shettima reminded the Assembly that the country has participated in 51 of the UN’s 60 peacekeeping missions since independence in 1960. “Nigeria’s soldiers and civilians carry a proud legacy,” he stated. “From this long and difficult struggle with violent extremism, one truth stands clear: military tactics may win battles measured in months and years, but in wars that span generations, it is values and ideas that deliver the ultimate victory.”
Shettima endorsed the UN80 Initiative and the July 18 resolution on reforms, calling them vital to restore efficiency and coherence to the UN system. He said sovereignty must be understood as a shared responsibility, binding nations together in the pursuit of global peace.
