Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has called for Africa to secure a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, positioning Nigeria as the ideal candidate to represent the continent.
In a statement released by Alkasim Abdulkadir, the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media and Communication Strategy, Tuggar emphasised Africa’s significant role in global governance.
He pointed to the upcoming G20 Summit in South Africa in 2025 as a pivotal moment for the continent to assert its influence on the global stage.
During a panel discussion titled “Africa’s Momentum” at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Tuggar expressed his concern over Africa’s exclusion from the UN Security Council, highlighting the need for representation that reflects the continent’s contributions and challenges in international affairs.
Tuggar stated that about 60 percent of the resolutions of the Council are about issues that have to do with Africa, yet Africa has no permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
He also noted that many of the laws promulgated by the Council have adverse implications for Africa, including the Deforestation Law, which bans the purchase of produce from deforested land in Africa while ignoring the technological companies that produce the machineries that enable deforestation on the continent.
Strategic Autonomy and Nonalignment Principle
The minister further disclosed that Nigeria’s global outlook under President Bola Tinubu’s administration is premised on the accentuation of Nigeria’s strategic autonomy and nonalignment principle in its relations with the rest of the world.
“The G20 summit in South Africa presents an opportunity for us to make a strong case, in the case of Nigeria becoming a G20 member, and of course, South is a brotherly neighbour, we have strong ties,” Tuggar pointed out.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s significant role in not only supporting South Africa’s liberation from apartheid but also in providing asylum to Thabo Mabaki during the years of South Africa’s struggle for liberation.
Enumerating Nigeria’s strengths and qualifications and why it should lead Africa on the global stage, the Minister opined, “It is important for a country like Nigeria to be a member of the G20 because we are used to making a case for Africa; we have got a lot of goodwill; we have got soft power.”
He also noted the historical contribution of Nigeria to the struggles for Africa’s liberation and the fight against racist regimes on the continent.
Tuggar also disclosed that as part of its soft powers, Nigeria, through its Technical Aid Corp sends volunteer professionals, including medical doctors, engineers, and university lecturers, to other African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries to support their development.
He further stated that Nigeria is a non-threatening power that is friendly with its neighbours and does not have land or boundary disputes; if such issues come up, they are resolved in most cases with Nigeria conceding to its neighbours.
He enthused that Nigeria’s nonthreatening nature has earned the trust of its neighbours who support Nigeria to represent them globally. Minister Tuggar added that Nigeria is the only African country with a permanent seat in the African Union’s Peace and Security Council.
“It is important for Nigeria to be at the table because the G20 was created to review global economic and financial issues such as the utilisation of Special Drawing Rights to fund the energy transition in Africa,” he stressed.
He further called for a return to the promises made by developed nations to developing countries during the Rio Summit regarding the transfer of technology, which he said has gone quiet, and Nigeria, using its big, strong voice, can bring to the fore as a member of the G20.
“Nigeria would advocate for the reconsideration of the Special Drawing Rights and push for the consolidation of the global tax reforms, which he said were championed by African countries at the United Nations with Nigeria leading the charge to make the tax system fairer for the Global South countries,” he said.
On Nigeria’s expectation from South Africa at the G20 summit, the Minister opined that South Africa can make a strong case for fairness, for the process to be more representative, and to become more democratic.
He faulted the argument that because Africa is already represented by the African Union and South Africa, it should not demand more representation, citing that South America, which representation does not attract the same reaction as Africa’s. The Minister emphasised that Africa should not be viewed as a single country but as a continent with 54 countries, noting Nigeria’s over 220 million population with a potential to rise to 400 million by the year 2050 and the third largest population in the world.
He added that Nigeria deserves to be represented, and given its track record, the size of its economy, and many other factors, expecting South Africa to support Nigeria’s case.The panel discussion featured other African leaders, including the Foreign ministers of Tunisia, Mohammed Ali Nafti; the Democratic Republic of Congo, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner; and the Ugandan Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija, and was moderated by the Director of Chatham House, Bronwen Maddox.
Comments are closed.