Nigeria on Thursday, September 24, demanded at least two permanent seats for Africa on the United Nations security council, with full rights and responsibilities of permanent membership, including veto power if retained.
The demand was contained in president Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s national statement delivered by vice president Kashim Shettima during the general debate of the 81st United Nations general assembly in New York.
Tinubu said the reform of the United Nations should begin with the reconstitution of the security council to reflect present-day global realities.
He said Africa could no longer remain absent from permanent membership of the body while continuing to be affected by many of the security issues considered by the council.
“Nigeria demands, in accordance with the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, at least two permanent seats for Africa,” Tinubu said in the statement delivered by Shettima.
He added that Africa should also have five non-permanent seats in total and retain the right to veto for the proposed permanent members for as long as the veto remains part of the council’s structure.
The African position is consistent with the longstanding demand of the African Union under the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration for at least two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats on an expanded Security Council.
Tinubu also called for broader reforms of global institutions, arguing that the distribution of power created in 1945 no longer reflected the realities of the 21st century.
The president said Nigeria remained committed to the United Nations charter and urged countries to prioritise dialogue, mutual respect, collective responsibility and international law in addressing conflicts.
He cited Nigeria’s peacekeeping and regional security roles in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Mali and The Gambia as part of the country’s contribution to international peace and security.
Tinubu said Nigeria continued to support mediation, democratic governance, counterterrorism and maritime security through organisations and partnerships including the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union and Gulf of Guinea initiatives.
On global conflicts, the president called for an end to warfare and urged the international community to strengthen diplomacy and collective action.
He also called for reforms to the international financial architecture, wider access to concessional financing and debt-sustainability arrangements that take the development needs of poorer countries into account.
Tinubu said developing countries needed greater access to financing to support education, healthcare, infrastructure and other development priorities.
On climate change, he reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and a fair energy transition, while stressing that African countries needed technology and climate finance to expand energy access and industrialise.
He said Nigeria was pursuing a pathway towards net-zero emissions by 2060 under its energy transition plan.
The president also addressed technology and artificial intelligence, saying Nigeria was expanding digital public infrastructure, broadband access and technology entrepreneurship to support economic development.
Meanwhile, United Nations secretary-general António Guterres said Africa’s continued absence from permanent membership of the security council was “unjust and indefensible.” He called for reform to make the council more representative of the contemporary world.
The 15-member security council currently consists of five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. The permanent members have veto power over substantive resolutions.
African leaders have continued to press for reform of the council at the ongoing general assembly, with several calling for permanent representation for the continent.
The African Union’s common position remains a minimum of two permanent and five non-permanent seats.
Nigeria’s demand formed part of its wider agenda at the 81st UN General Assembly, where the country is also pushing for reforms to global financial institutions and greater representation for developing countries in international decision-making.
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