By David Akinadewo-Adekahunsi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for a radical reform of the United Nations, demanding at least two permanent seats for Africa on the Security Council, complete with veto powers, as he warned that the global body could no longer operate on a distribution of power established in 1945.
Tinubu also demanded five non-permanent seats for Africa, insisting that the continent could not continue to bear the consequences of decisions taken at the United Nations while remaining largely excluded from the permanent membership of the Security Council.
The President made the demands in his address to the General Debate of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States, on Thursday. The speech was delivered on his behalf by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Tinubu said the reform of the United Nations must begin with restructuring its most powerful decision-making organ, arguing that the geopolitical realities of 2026 were fundamentally different from those that existed at the end of the Second World War.
“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. Africa cannot continue to fill the Council’s agenda while remaining absent from its permanent membership,” he said.
He said Nigeria’s demand was consistent with the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, which articulate Africa’s position on reform of the United Nations Security Council.
“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,” the President said.
Tinubu also used the occasion to call for an immediate end to armed conflicts around the world, warning against the growing tendency towards unilateral action and nationalism.
He urged world leaders to return to the principles upon which the United Nations was founded, particularly dialogue, mutual respect, collective responsibility and adherence to international law.
“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. We must therefore return to the founding principles of dialogue, mutual respect and collective responsibility,” he said.
“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.”
The President said countries could not afford to regard conflicts in other parts of the world as distant or unrelated to their own national interests, stressing that insecurity, economic disruption and humanitarian crises increasingly transcend national borders.
He said the international community had an urgent responsibility to restore confidence in multilateral institutions designed to resolve disputes and promote collective interests.
Tinubu cited Nigeria’s contributions to peacekeeping and conflict resolution across Africa as evidence of the country’s commitment to multilateralism and regional stability.
He recalled Nigeria’s involvement in efforts to restore peace in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Mali and The Gambia, noting that the country had repeatedly committed personnel and resources whenever regional or international solidarity was required.
He said Nigeria would continue to work through the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union and Gulf of Guinea partnerships to promote mediation, democratic governance, counter-terrorism and maritime security.
According to him, Nigeria’s foreign policy and domestic economic reforms are driven by a shared conviction that sustainable development requires peace, stability and accountable institutions.
The President said Nigeria was implementing its sustainable development commitments through macroeconomic management, institutional strengthening, private-sector growth and strategic public investment.
He, however, warned that national progress could be undermined by external crises, noting that no country could completely isolate itself from the consequences of conflict, climate change and other global challenges.
“Government trust is earned only when decisions improve lives,” he said, stressing that national leaders must confront security and climate realities rather than assume that national borders provide protection from global threats.
On climate change, Tinubu called for a more equitable international response, arguing that developing countries should not be forced to choose between economic development and environmental protection.
He said developing nations, particularly in Africa, needed to industrialise, eradicate poverty and expand access to energy, but should be supported to do so through low-carbon pathways, technology transfer and adequate climate financing.
The President reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and what he described as a fair energy transition, pointing out that Africa bears a disproportionate burden of climate change despite accounting for less than four per cent of global emissions.
He said Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan remained geared towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2060 while expanding access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy.
Tinubu also renewed Nigeria’s call for reforms to the international financial system, including greater access to concessional financing and debt sustainability frameworks that take the developmental circumstances of poorer countries into account.
“One of the greatest obstacles to sustainable development is inadequate financing,” he said, noting that many developing countries devote significant portions of their resources to debt servicing at the expense of education, healthcare and infrastructure.
The President argued that developing countries required a more equitable role in international economic decision-making, alongside financial arrangements capable of supporting their development priorities.
He also addressed the emerging role of artificial intelligence and digital technology, declaring that Nigeria would not allow concerns about technological change to prevent it from exploiting opportunities in the digital economy.
“AI is a tool driven by human intent,” he said, adding that Nigeria was expanding its digital public infrastructure, accelerating broadband deployment and promoting technology entrepreneurship in order to harness emerging technologies for human development.
On terrorism and transnational security threats, Tinubu drew lessons from Nigeria’s prolonged battle against Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province and other armed groups.
He argued that the experience demonstrated the limits of purely national approaches to security in an interconnected world.
“No nation, however formidable its defences, can secure itself completely against dangers sustained beyond its borders,” he said.
According to him, terrorism, cyberattacks and other contemporary security threats exploit weaknesses in international cooperation, making coordinated global action increasingly necessary.
He nevertheless stressed that military action alone could not provide a lasting solution to violent extremism, arguing that sustainable security required education, economic opportunities, accountable governance and respect for human rights.
As a founding member of ECOWAS, Tinubu said Nigeria remained prepared to support regional solidarity and African leadership in addressing security challenges, backed by what he described as principled international partnerships.
He also reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the United Nations Charter.
The President specifically called for urgent diplomatic efforts to address the conflicts in Sudan and other war-affected countries, warning that prolonged wars carried severe humanitarian, economic and geopolitical consequences.
“We should all be afraid of a world in which we can no longer tell the victim from the aggressor. 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,” he said.
Tinubu said the outcome of the UN General Assembly should be measured by the willingness of member states to strengthen multilateral institutions and make them more representative of the world they are expected to serve.
He maintained that the United Nations remained indispensable to the pursuit of international peace, justice and sustainable development, but argued that its effectiveness depended on reforms capable of addressing contemporary global realities.
“A reformed, inclusive and effective United Nations is indispensable to the peaceful, just and sustainable world that future generations deserve,” he said.
“Whatever our differences, we must remember that humanity is our oldest citizenship, and peace is the inheritance we owe every child.”
