Vice-President Kashim Shettima has warned against a world
where propaganda shields perpetrators from justice, saying the scenario
undermines the very essence of the United Nations.
Shettima spoke on Thursday in New York while delivering
President Bola Tinubu’s address at the general debate of the 81st session of
the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The vice-president also called for a radical reform of the
global order, including the restructuring of the United Nations Security
Council to hand Africa permanent representation.
He said the current distribution of power at the UN remains
a reflection of 1945 and no longer suits current realities.
“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,” Shettima said.
“Africa cannot continue to fill the Council’s agenda while
remaining absent from its permanent membership.
“Nigeria demands, in accordance with the Ezulwini Consensus
and the Sirte Declaration, at least two permanent seats for Africa, with all
the rights and responsibilities of permanent membership, including the veto for
as long as it exists, and five non-permanent seats in total.
“The authority to speak for humanity carries an obligation
to represent it.”
NIGERIA CALLS FOR END TO GLOBAL CONFLICTS
The African nation called for an immediate end to conflicts
across the world and urged countries to return to the principles of dialogue,
mutual respect and collective responsibility.
“The persistence of conflict across the world recalls the
purpose for which the United Nations was founded: to spare succeeding
generations the devastation of war,” Shettima said.
“We must therefore return to the founding principles of
dialogue, mutual respect and collective responsibility.
“Nigeria stands by the Charter and its promise of a world in
which diplomacy prevails over coercion, cooperation over isolation and
international law over the arbitrary exercise of power.”
Shettima added that Nigeria remains ready to take on greater
responsibility in restoring peace across Africa, citing the country’s
contributions to peace efforts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Mali and The
Gambia.
He said Nigeria continues to advance mediation, democratic
governance, counter-terrorism and maritime security through ECOWAS, the African
Union and its Gulf of Guinea partnerships.
‘AFRICA BEARS HEAVY CLIMATE BURDEN’
Speaking on climate change, Shettima said Nigeria rejects
the notion that development and climate action were mutually exclusive.
He said developing countries must be allowed to
industrialise, tackle poverty and expand energy access through low-carbon
pathways backed by technology transfer and climate financing.
The vice-president said the Tinubu administration is
committed to the Paris Agreement and a fair energy transition, noting that
Africa contributes less than four percent of global emissions despite bearing a
significant climate burden.
He said Nigeria is working towards net-zero emissions by
2060 under its Energy Transition Plan, while expanding access to affordable,
reliable and sustainable energy.
Shettima also reiterated Nigeria’s call for reforms to the
international financial architecture, wider access to concessional financing
and debt sustainability frameworks that take the developmental needs of poorer
countries into account.
“One of the greatest obstacles to sustainable development is
inadequate financing,” he said.
The vice-president said several developing countries spend a
significant portion of their resources on debt servicing at the expense of
education, healthcare and infrastructure.
On artificial intelligence, he said Nigeria would not allow
fear to dictate its technological future, describing AI as a tool driven by
human intent.
According to the address, Nigeria is expanding digital
public infrastructure, accelerating broadband deployment and promoting
technology entrepreneurship.
‘NO NATION CAN SECURE ITSELF COMPLETELY’
Shettima said Nigeria’s experience in combatting Boko Haram,
ISWAP and other armed groups had shown that no country could completely protect
itself from threats sustained beyond its borders.
“No nation, however formidable its defences, can secure
itself completely against dangers sustained beyond its borders,” he said.
The vice-president said modern threats, including terrorism
and cyber attacks, exploit gaps in global action, adding that lasting military
gains require education, economic opportunity, accountable governance and
respect for human rights.
Shettima said Nigeria, as a founding member of ECOWAS,
remains committed to regional solidarity and African leadership in resolving
security challenges through principled international partnerships.
He also reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the peaceful
settlement of disputes under the UN Charter, saying the conflicts in Sudan and
other war-torn countries require urgent diplomatic intervention.
“We should all be afraid of a world in which we can no
longer tell the victim from the aggressor,” he said.
“When our investment in propaganda shields perpetrators from
justice to the point that telling the truth becomes a crime, the promise of
this institution stands betrayed.”
Shettima concluded by saying a reformed and inclusive UN
remains essential to building a peaceful, just and sustainable world.
“A reformed, inclusive and effective United Nations is
indispensable to the peaceful, just and sustainable world that future
generations deserve,” he added.
“Whatever our differences, we must remember that humanity is our oldest citizenship, and peace is the inheritance we owe every child.”
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