Vice President Kashim Shettima says Africa’s continued exclusion from permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council undermines the fairness and legitimacy of the global governance system.
VP Shettima stated this during a meeting with United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Vice President reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for urgent reform of the United Nations, saying “the country would remain a dependable partner in efforts to rebuild trust among nations, uphold international law and address hunger, violence and exclusion.”
He commended UN Secretary-General António Guterres for his consistent support for a more representative Security Council, particularly his call for permanent African representation.
VP Shettima quoted Guterres as describing a 21st-century Security Council without permanent African representation as “unjust and indefensible.”
“A continent cannot be summoned to bear the burdens of the international order and then denied an equal hand in directing it,” the Vice President said.
VP Shettima maintained that Nigeria would continue to support reforms that make international institutions more representative, responsive and credible, stressing that global decisions must reflect contemporary geopolitical and demographic realities.
He also praised Guterres for defending international law and human dignity amid widening conflicts and rising geopolitical tensions.
The VP said; “You have remained a voice of reason as individual states drift from the obligations they assumed under the United Nations Charter and the rules of international law.
“You have insisted that sovereignty carries duties, that might confers no licence to injure, and that the worth of a human life cannot vary with the flag above it.”
The Vice President warned that diplomacy must not lose sight of the human consequences of war and instability.
“The mother searching for her child, the family driven from home and the hungry child awaiting food must never become abstractions in the language of states,” VP Shettima explained.
He also commended Amina Mohammed for her contributions to multilateral diplomacy and sustainable development, describing her service as a source of pride to Nigeria.
“Nigeria will remain a willing ally in the work of restoring trust among nations and dignity to lives diminished by hunger, violence and exclusion. We owe our children a world in which conscience has authority and the law has meaning,” he said.
VP Shettima said that the credibility of the international system would ultimately depend on its ability to respond fairly to human suffering and provide all regions with a meaningful voice in global decision-making.
“Civilisation endures only when the suffering of a stranger becomes a claim on our conscience,” he said.
Amina Mohammed expressed gratitude to Nigeria and the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for their support for the United Nations and her office as Deputy Secretary-General.
She said: “It’s a deep honour to have your esteemed delegation here to come and surprise me. I am truly honoured and grateful.
“I want to thank, through you, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and you for embracing me wholeheartedly, not just as the DSG but as a daughter of the soil.
“He has been an incredible support to me, and he has also supported this institution.”
The Vice President was accompanied by the Governors of Kwara, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq; Benue, Hyacinth Alia; Rivers, Siminalayi Fubara; and Zamfara, Dauda Lawal.
Others were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Jimoh Ibrahim, among other senior officials.
