President Bola Tinubu has called for sweeping reforms at the United Nations (UN) to give Africa permanent representation on the security council.
Giving his speech at the plenary session on peace and stability during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, Tinubu maintained that Africa deserves two permanent seats with full privileges.
“It is the view of Nigeria that Africa’s quest for fair and equitable representation in the UN Security Council is a just and fair demand,” said Tinubu.
“Indeed, Africa deserves two seats in the permanent category, with all its prerogatives and privileges, including the right of veto. Africa also deserves additional seats in the non-permanent seat category of the security council.”
He also used the forum to laud the Nigerian armed forces for recent successes in the fight against insurgency and criminality, describing their momentum as a “springboard for national development and stability”.
The president noted that military victories alone cannot guarantee lasting peace without addressing poverty, inequality, and exclusion.
“Nigeria’s brave armed forces can win any number of battles, but we do justice to their heroism only when we, as government, are courageous in tackling not just terror but also the underlying causes.
“We have learned that our brave armed forces can win many battles. But we can do justice to their heroism and sacrifice only when we, as governments, display the courage to be tough, not only on terror, but on the causes of terror.”
