UNGA: FG renews call for permanent seat at UN Security Council

The Federal Government has renewed its call for Nigeria to be granted a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council as part of broader institutional reforms, citing the country’s population growth, leadership role in regional stability, and consistent record in global peacekeeping operations.

Speaking during the general debate at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said Nigeria’s case for permanent representation was a matter of fairness, credibility, and reform in the international system.

According to him, “The United Nations will recover its relevance only when it reflects the world as it is, not as it was. When the UN was founded, we were a colony of 20 million people absent from the tables where decisions about our fate were taken. Today, we are a sovereign nation of over 236 million, projected to be the third most populous country in the world, with one of the youngest and most dynamic populations on earth.”

He emphasized that Nigeria had participated in 51 out of 60 UN peacekeeping missions since gaining independence in 1960, adding that the nation had remained a “stabilising force in regional security and a consistent partner in global peacekeeping.”

“A permanent seat for Nigeria 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,” he said.

President Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to peace, development, multilateralism, and the protection of human rights. He also called for urgent global action on sovereign debt relief, fair trade policies, and improved access to financing for emerging economies.

He proposed “a new and binding mechanism to manage sovereign debt” and urged that countries rich in mineral resources should “benefit fairly through investment, partnership, local processing, and job creation.”

Tinubu also advocated for a global initiative to close the digital divide, calling on researchers, the private sector, governments, and communities to collaborate in promoting equitable access to technology.

“We support the UN80 Initiative of the Secretary-General and the resolution adopted by this Assembly on July 18, 2025, a bold step to reform the wider UN system for greater relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness in the face of unprecedented financial strain,” he said.

Speaking further, Tinubu condemned the ongoing Israeli assault in Gaza, urging the global community to support a two-state solution as the most dignified path to lasting peace.

“We are despised by terrorists because we choose tolerance over tyranny,” Tinubu said. “The people of Palestine are not collateral damage in a civilisation searching for order. They are human beings, equal in worth, entitled to the same freedoms and dignities that the rest of us take for granted.”

Meanwhile, South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, also speaking at the assembly, called for an end to trade weaponisation, warning that volatile trade policies were destabilising the global economy.

“It is concerning that geopolitical shocks and unprecedented trade policy volatility are destabilising the global economy. In fact, trade is now being used as a weapon against a number of countries in the world,” Ramaphosa said.

He called for transparent trade rules that allow developing countries to compete equally and for better access to financing to achieve sustainable development.

Kenya’s President, William Ruto, in his address, criticised international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank for “unfairness” towards African nations, saying they imposed high interest rates and offered little loan support.

Ruto also called for reforms in the IMF and World Bank, and expressed concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, urging a permanent ceasefire and respect for international law.

“Only through such a process can the vision of a two-state solution, where Israel and Palestine live side by side, be realised in peace and security,” Ruto said.