IN A FORCEFUL address delivered at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, issued a stark warning that the UN must evolve beyond its 1945 structure or risk irrelevance, while formally demanding a permanent seat for Nigeria on the UN Security Council.
Speaking on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Shettima outlined a four-point agenda for strengthening global peace, development, and human rights, framing it as essential for the survival of effective multilateralism in the face of mounting global crises.
The speech, themed around the session’s focus: “Better Together: 80 Years and More for Peace, Development, and Human Rights,” balanced a critique of the UN’s slow pace of reform with a reaffirmation of Nigeria’s commitment to the international body.
A Call for Fundamental Reform: The Case for a Nigerian Security Council Seat
The centrepiece of Nigeria’s address was an unequivocal demand for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council. Shettima argued that the current composition of the Council reflects a bygone era and undermines its credibility.
“The United Nations will recover its relevance only when it reflects the world as it is, not as it was,” Shettima stated. He contrasted Nigeria’s status as a colony of 20 million people in 1945 with its present-day reality as a sovereign nation of over 236 million people, projected to be the world’s third most populous country.
He positioned Nigeria as “a stabilising force in regional security and a consistent partner in global peacekeeping,” having participated in 51 out of 60 UN peacekeeping missions since independence.
The demand, he said, was one of “fairness, for representation, and for reform that restores credibility to the very institution upon which the hope of multilateralism rests.”
Urgent Economic Justice: Debt Relief and Financial Architecture Overhaul
The Vice President highlighted the severe economic pressures facing developing nations, calling for “urgent action to promote sovereign debt relief and access to trade and financing.” He framed this not as an appeal for charity but as a strategic necessity for global peace and prosperity.
In a significant proposal, Shettima called for a “new and binding mechanism to manage sovereign debt, a sort of International Court of Justice for money.” This, he argued, would allow emerging economies to escape the “economic straitjacket” of relying solely on raw material exports. He linked this to the need to fully realise the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Resource Sovereignty: Host Nations Must Benefit from Their Minerals
Drawing a direct line between resource exploitation and conflict, Shettima emphasised that countries rich in critical minerals must benefit fairly from their extraction. He pointed to lessons from Nigeria’s Niger Delta region and conflicts in Sierra Leone and Sudan, where access to minerals has fuelled instability rather than prosperity.
“When we export raw materials, as we have been doing, tension, inequality and instability fester,” he warned as he advocated for international investment in local processing and manufacturing within Africa, which he argued would diversify global supply chains, reduce geopolitical tensions, and create a foundation for lasting prosperity on the continent.
Bridging the Digital Divide: Ensuring “Africa is Included” in the Tech Revolution
The fourth pillar of Nigeria’s proposal focused on technology. Echoing the UN Secretary-General’s sentiment that “A.I. must stand for ‘Africa Included,’” Shettima called for a dedicated initiative to close the digital divide.
He expressed concern not only about disinformation but about a growing generation becoming cynical and disengaged. A new dialogue, he argued, is needed to ensure emerging economies can access technology to close the “wealth and knowledge gap that is in no one’s interest.”
On Regional Conflicts vizaviz Values and Two-State Solution in Palestine
The address also contained strong positions on specific global conflicts with Shettima condemning the “violence and aggression visited upon innocent civilians in Gaza” and the “illegal attack on Qatar,” stating that Nigeria’s own experience with violent extremism teaches that such violence “never ends where it begins.”
He unequivocally endorsed a two-state solution as “the most dignified path to lasting peace for the people of Palestine,” framing the choice as one of “civilised values over fear, civilised values over vengeance, civilised values over bloodshed.”
A Renewed Covenant for Multilateralism
In closing, Vice President Shettima pledged Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to multilateralism but stressed that it must be renewed as an “article of faith,” not merely a slogan. He endorsed the UN80 Initiative and recent resolutions aimed at streamlining the UN system for greater efficiency.
“The road ahead will not be easy, and we know there are no quick fixes to the trials that test the human spirit,” he said, adding: “Yet history reminds us that bold action in pursuit of noble ideals has always defined the story of the United Nations.”
The speech positions Nigeria as a leading voice for a more equitable and representative global order, although unreflective of the profound dysfunction in the Nigerian political economy.
