President Muhammadu Buhari on
Tuesday in New York called for global action on corruption, security and UN
reforms.
The Nigerian leader said this in
his address to world leaders at the ongoing 73rd session of the UN general
assembly.
Buhari, who was the 14th speaker
on the first day of the general debate, also unfolded Nigeria’s positions on
international matters before the global audience.
Buhari in his Nigeria’s national
statement, painted a distressing picture of the Lake Chad, saying the shrinking
water body meant loss of livelihoods to the 45 million people in the area.
On corruption, the Nigerian
leader called for measures by the international community to stem illicit flow
of funds within countries and across national boundaries.
According to him, corruption has
a huge negative impact on the stability, peace, and economic prospects of
millions in developing countries.
“Corruption significantly
deprives national Governments of resources to provide meaningful livelihoods to
their populations who are predominantly youths, thus giving rise to more
irregular migration,” Buhari said.
He noted that the fight against
corruption was a collective assignment involving all stakeholders adding, “it
is in our collective interest to cooperate in tracking illicit financial flows,
investigate and prosecute corrupt individuals and entities and repatriate such
funds to their countries of origin”.
“Fighting corruption or resolving
international conflicts, crises and wars; defeating terrorism and piracy;
curbing arms trafficking and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons
which fuel these conflicts, particularly in Africa; stemming irregular
migration by addressing its root causes; and the many other global challenges
we are faced with today can only be effectively addressed through multilateral
cooperation and concerted action.
“The only global institutional
framework we have to address these challenges is the United Nations System.”
He called for the strengthening
of the UN and making it more effective by speeding up the pace of progress
towards its reform, including that of its principal organ, the Security
Council.
According to him, it is high time
we stopped skirting round the issue and establish achievable benchmarks and
time frames for these reforms.
“I assure you all that in this
advocacy, I am only reflecting Nigeria’s deep and abiding commitment to our
Organisation and its founding principles and goals,” he said.
“From the date we joined in 1960,
we have contributed our quota to the fulfilment of the mandate of the UN. We
have been active participants in many Security Council and African Union
authorised Peace Keeping operations around the world, beginning with the
Democratic Republic of Congo operations in 1960.
“Furthermore, Nigeria has always
mobilised the required human and material resources to achieve set United
Nations goals, including the recently adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
“We are resolute in complementing
the efforts and examples of the United Nations to promote gender equality and
youth empowerment as necessary pillars for sustainable development.”
The Nigerian leader expressed
regrets about some lingering threats to peace and security around the world,
noting that in some cases, matters got worse.
“The terrorist insurgencies we
face, particularly in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, are partly fuelled by
local factors and dynamics, but now increasingly by the international Jihadi
Movement, runaway fighters from Iraq and Syria and arms from the disintegration
of Libya,” he said.
He called on the international
community to strengthen its resolve to combat ethnic and religious cleansing everywhere,
expressing Nigeria’s support for the UN’s efforts in ensuring that the Rohingya
refugees are allowed to return to their homes in Myanmar with security,
protection, and guarantee of citizenship.
The Nigerian leader commended the
efforts of the leaders of the United States, North Korea and South Korea, “to
realise our shared goal of a nuclear free Korean Peninsula.”
He also acknowledged the
commitment to peace shown by U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea’s
leader Kim Jong-Un by initiating a historic Summit, urging both leaders to
continue with the positive engagement.
Buhari called on the Israelis and
the Palestinians to make the necessary compromises in the interest of justice,
peace and security, in line with numerous UN resolutions and applicable
international laws.
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