Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Africa’s continued exclusion from permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council undermines the fairness, credibility and legitimacy of the global governance system.
Shettima stated this when he met with the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Vice President reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for urgent reforms of the United Nations, stressing that the country would remain a dependable partner in efforts to restore trust among nations, uphold international law and address the challenges of hunger, violence and exclusion.
He commended UN Secretary-General António Guterres for his consistent advocacy for a more representative Security Council, particularly his position that a 21st-century Council without permanent African representation is “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,” Shettima said.
He maintained that Nigeria would continue to support reforms that make international institutions more representative, responsive and credible, arguing that global decisions must reflect contemporary geopolitical and demographic realities.
The Vice President also praised Guterres for defending international law and human dignity amid widening conflicts and rising geopolitical tensions.
“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,” he said.
Shettima urged the international community not to 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,” he added.
He further commended Amina Mohammed for her contributions to multilateral diplomacy and sustainable development, describing her service at the United Nations 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,” Shettima said.
The Vice President said the credibility of the international system would ultimately depend on its ability to respond fairly to human suffering while giving all regions a meaningful voice in global decision-making.
“Civilisation endures only when the suffering of a stranger becomes a claim on our conscience,” he said.
Earlier, 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.
“It’s a deep honour to have your esteemed delegation here to come and surprise me. I am truly honoured and grateful,” she said.
Mohammed also thanked President Tinubu and the Vice President for their support, describing the President as an “incredible support” to her and the United Nations institution.
The Vice President was accompanied by the governors of Kwara, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Benue, Hyacinth Alia; Rivers, Siminalayi Fubara; and Zamfara, Dauda Lawal; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim; and other senior government officials.