President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on the United Nations to give Africa two permanent seats with full veto power on its Security Council, stressing that global decisions cannot stay locked in rules made back in 1945.
Vice President Kashim Shettima delivered the President’s statement on Thursday during the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
President Tinubu told world leaders that Africa can no longer remain on the margins while the Security Council spends most of its time discussing African issues. To fix this imbalance, Nigeria is demanding at least two permanent seats with full veto rights, alongside five non-permanent seats for the continent.
“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”, Tinubu stated in the speech read by Shettima.
African leaders have long criticized the UN Security Council for excluding the continent from major decisions on global peace and security. This request follows the African Union’s long-standing position known as the Ezulwini Consensus. Right now, the 15-member Security Council has only five permanent members which include the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France, none of which are African.
President Tinubu during the meeting, also called for an immediate cease fire between warring nations and urged nations to rely on diplomacy instead of military force. He pointed to Nigeria’s past peacekeeping missions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Sudan to show the willingness of the country to help secure peace.
“Military victories require enduring foundations in education, economic opportunity, accountable governance, and human rights”, Tinubu
The President also urge global leaders to reform international finance systems so developing countries do not waste all their resources paying off debts instead of funding schools, roads, and hospitals.
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