President Bola Tinubu has renewed Nigeria’s demand for at least two permanent seats for Africa on the United Nations Security Council, including veto powers, saying the body’s structure no longer reflects contemporary global realities.
Tinubu made the demand on Thursday in his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, delivered on his behalf by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Nigeria also called for five non-permanent African seats on the Security Council, in line with the continent’s established position under the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration.
“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,” Tinubu said.
He argued that Africa should not continue to be heavily affected by decisions of the Council while lacking permanent representation.
The President cited Nigeria’s contributions to international peace and security, including its involvement in peacekeeping and mediation efforts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Mali and The Gambia.
The Security Council currently has 15 members, comprising five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
The five permanent members have veto powers over substantive Council decisions.
Tinubu’s demand comes amid renewed international calls for reform of the global body. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has described Africa’s continued absence from permanent membership of the Security Council as “indefensible” and said the institution must reflect present-day realities.
On climate change, Tinubu rejected what he described as a false choice between development and climate action.
He said developing countries needed support to industrialise, eradicate poverty and expand energy access while pursuing low-carbon development.
“Africa contributes less than four per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, yet bears disproportionate consequences,” he said.
Tinubu said Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan was targeting net-zero emissions by 2060 while expanding access to affordable and reliable energy through renewable energy, clean cooking, gas as a transitional fuel, climate-smart agriculture and nature-based solutions.
He also called for climate finance based on equity and shared responsibility rather than charity.
On artificial intelligence, the President urged responsible deployment of the technology, saying it could either be used destructively or applied to improve healthcare, education, agriculture, governance and economic productivity.
He invited international partners to work with Nigerian youths and the country’s technology ecosystem to direct AI towards development.
The President also called for reforms to the international financial architecture, wider access to concessional financing and debt sustainability frameworks that recognise the developmental needs of poorer countries.
He highlighted the African Continental Free Trade Area as an opportunity to strengthen regional value chains, expand intra-African trade and accelerate industrialisation.
“Our abundant natural resources must become engines of shared prosperity rather than sources of perpetual dependency,” he said.
On security, Tinubu said Nigeria’s prolonged fight against Boko Haram, ISWAP and other armed groups had shown that military victories alone could not guarantee lasting peace.
He called for greater international cooperation against terrorism, organised crime, cyberattacks and illicit finance, while urging urgent diplomacy over conflicts including Sudan.
The President said Nigeria remained committed to peaceful dispute settlement under the UN Charter and called for stronger peacekeeping, mediation and institution-building.
“Nigeria pledges to choose cooperation over confrontation, dialogue over division, hope over fear and partnership over isolation,” he said.
The renewed demand places Nigeria firmly behind the broader African position on Security Council reform, as negotiations continue over how the Council should be expanded and restructured to reflect current geopolitical realities.
