Shettima Says Africa Needs a Seat at the UN Security Council

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said that Africa's lack of permanent membership in the United Nations (UN) Security Council makes the global governance system unfair.

He spoke during a meeting with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed at the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. Shettima emphasized Nigeria's support for urgent changes in the UN, stressing that the country will keep being a reliable partner in rebuilding trust among nations, following international law, and tackling hunger, violence, and exclusion.

Shettima praised UN Secretary-General António Guterres for his ongoing support for a Security Council that truly represents the world. “Particularly his declaration that a 21st-century Council without permanent African representation is unjust and indefensible,” he said.

He added, “A continent cannot be summoned to bear the burdens of the international order and then denied an equal hand in directing it.” Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria's commitment to reforms that will make international bodies more representative and credible.

He pointed out that global decisions need to reflect today's geopolitical and demographic realities better. He also commended Guterres for standing up for international law and human dignity in the face of growing global conflicts and 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,” he said. “You have insisted that sovereignty carries duties, that might confer 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 forget the human costs 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.

Shettima also praised UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed for her role in multilateral diplomacy and sustainable development. He described her contributions as a source of pride for 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,” he said. “We owe our children a world in which conscience has authority and the law has meaning.”

He stressed that the credibility of the international system will depend on its ability to respond justly to human suffering and give all regions a real 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 deep gratitude to Nigeria and President Bola Tinubu for their support for the UN and her office. “It’s a deep honour to have your esteemed delegation here to come and surprise me. I am truly honoured and grateful,” she said.

“I want to thank through you, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola 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.”

Shettima was joined on the visit by Governors Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, Hyacinth Alia, Siminalayi Fubara, and Lawal Dauda from Kwara, Benue, Rivers, and Zamfara states. Also present were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Jimoh Ibrahim, along with other top officials.