*Urges End To Wars, Respect For UN Charter
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has called for a restructuring of the global order, saying the United Nations (UN) cannot effectively address the challenges of 2026 while retaining a distribution of power designed in 1945.
He called for at least two permanent seats for Africa, with full rights and responsibilities, including veto power, for as long as the veto remains part of the Council’s structure, as well as five non-permanent seats for the continent.
Tinubu, in an address delivered by Vice President, Kashim Shettima, at the General Debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States (US), demanded the reconstitution of the UN Security Council (USC) to give Africa permanent representation, saying the continent could no longer remain central to the UN’s agenda while being excluded from permanent membership of its most powerful decision-making organ.
He stated: “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.
“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.”
Tinubu urged world leaders to work towards an immediate end to armed conflicts and reaffirm the principles of the UN Charter, warning against a retreat into nationalism and unilateralism.
He said the persistence of conflicts around the world had renewed the need for the UN to fulfill its original mandate of preventing war and promoting peaceful settlement of disputes, adding: “We must, therefore, return to the founding principles of dialogue, mutual respect and collective responsibility.”
On terrorism and other transnational threats, Tinubu, citing Nigeria’s experience confronting Boko Haram, ISWAP and other armed groups, argued that no country could secure itself entirely against threats originating beyond its borders, as terrorism and cyber-attacks exploit gaps in international cooperation; hence sustainable security required more than military action.
He said education, economic opportunity, accountable governance and respect for human rights were necessary components of a lasting response to violent extremism, assuring that as a founding member of ECOWAS, Nigeria remained committed to regional solidarity and African-led responses to security challenges, supported by international partnerships.
Tinubu warned against the manipulation of information in ways that obscure responsibility for violence and undermine accountability, saying: “We should all be afraid of a world in which we can no longer tell the victim from the aggressor.
“When our investment in propaganda shields perpetrators from justice to the point that telling the truth becomes a crime, the promise of this institution stands betrayed.”
The President restated Nigeria’s commitment to the UN Charter and a global order in which diplomacy takes precedence over coercion, cooperation over isolation and international law over the arbitrary exercise of power, citing the country’s peacekeeping and conflict-resolution efforts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Mali and The Gambia as evidence of its commitment to peace and stability in Africa.
Tinubu assured that Nigeria would continue to work through the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) and Gulf of Guinea partnerships to promote mediation, democratic governance, counter-terrorism and maritime security.
He linked Nigeria’s current economic reforms to the broader pursuit of sustainable development, with focus on macroeconomic stability, stronger institutions, private-sector growth and strategic public investment.
He, however, said domestic progress could be undermined by instability beyond national borders, as no country could insulate itself completely from the consequences of global insecurity.
He renewed Nigeria’s push for reforms to the international financial architecture, including wider access to concessional financing and debt sustainability frameworks that take developing countries’ development needs into account.
He identified inadequate financing as one of the major constraints to sustainable development, saying debt-servicing obligations were consuming resources that could otherwise be invested in education, healthcare and infrastructure.
Tinubu rejected a false choice between economic development and climate action, arguing that developing countries must industrialise, reduce poverty and expand energy access, while pursuing lower-carbon development pathways.
In this light, he reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and a just energy transition, lamenting that Africa accounts for less than four per cent of global emissions, but remains highly exposed to the effects of climate change.
He said Nigeria would continue to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and digital innovation as tools for economic and social development, noting that government was expanding digital public infrastructure, accelerating broadband deployment and supporting technology entrepreneurship to ensure that Nigerians benefit from technological advancement.
He said the outcome of this year’s UNGA should strengthen efforts to build a more inclusive and effective multilateral system capable of addressing contemporary global challenges, adding: “A reformed, inclusive and effective UN is indispensable to the peaceful, just and sustainable world that future generations deserve.
“Whatever our differences, we must remember that humanity is our oldest citizenship, and peace is the inheritance we owe every child.”
