Africa’s exclusion from UN Security Council undermines global legitimacy — Nigeria
Abdullateef Fowewe
Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima has claimed Africa’s continued exclusion from permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council “subverts” the fairness and legitimacy of global governance, as he reaffirmed Nigeria’s push for urgent UN reforms.
Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications (Office of The Vice President) made this known on a
Shettima made the remarks during a meeting with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
He was joined by several Nigerian governors and senior officials, including Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
“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 praised UN Secretary-General António Guterres for consistently supporting a more representative Security Council and for describing a 21st-century Council without permanent African representation as “unjust and indefensible.”
The Vice President stressed that Nigeria would remain a dependable partner in efforts to rebuild trust among nations, defend international law, and address hunger, violence and exclusion. He also highlighted the human cost of conflict, saying, “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.”
Shettima further noted, “Civilisation endures only when the suffering of a stranger becomes a claim on our conscience.”
Amina Mohammed, a Nigerian, thanked President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its support of the UN and her office.
“It’s deep honour to have your esteemed delegation here… I want to thank through you, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria… for embracing me wholeheartedly not just as the DSG but as a daughter of the soil,” she said.
The meeting forms part of Nigeria’s broader diplomatic efforts at the UNGA to advocate for institutional reforms that better reflect contemporary geopolitical and demographic realities.
