Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Nigeria after representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States, concluding a week of high-level diplomatic engagements that advanced Nigeria’s positions on UN reform, development financing, and African representation in global decision-making. Shettima departed Abuja on September 20 with the mandate of President Tinubu to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the annual global gathering, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha.
During the visit, the Vice President delivered President Tinubu’s National Statement at the General Debate, where Nigeria renewed its call for reform of the UN Security Council, demanding permanent African representation with all the rights and responsibilities of permanent membership, including veto power. Shettima argued that Africa could no longer continue to fill the Council’s agenda while remaining absent from its permanent membership, and declared that the world of 2026 could not remain captive to the distribution of power in 1945. He also warned against a world where propaganda shields aggressors from justice, saying such a scenario undermines the very essence of the United Nations.
Beyond the General Debate, Shettima participated in several high-level side events and bilateral meetings. He attended the Third High-Level Roundtable of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, where President Tinubu urged African countries to move beyond raw mineral exports towards processing, manufacturing and value addition. At a high-level education financing event co-hosted by Nigeria and Italy, Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to education as a critical investment in productivity, human capital and national prosperity, while supporting the Global Partnership for Education’s $5 billion financing campaign.
The Vice President also met with Nigerians in the Diaspora, stressing the importance of their investment, expertise and networks to national development. Other major engagements included meetings with the new leadership of the ECOWAS Commission and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, with discussions focused on development financing, regional integration, economic cooperation, technology, peace and security. Shettima also raised the issue of debt servicing, noting that many developing countries, including Nigeria, devote substantial resources to debt servicing at the expense of education, healthcare and infrastructure, and calling for reforms to the international financial system to make financing more accessible to developing countries.
Across the meetings, Shettima advanced Nigeria’s positions on development financing, regional integration, economic cooperation, technology, peace and security, while reaffirming President Tinubu’s call for a more representative and equitable global order. His return marks the end of a successful diplomatic outing that placed Nigeria at the centre of the global conversation on reforming multilateral institutions and ensuring that Africa’s voice is heard in the decisions that shape the world.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments