President Bola Tinubu has called for a major reform of the United Nations Security Council, demanding at least two permanent seats for Africa with veto powers.
Tinubu made the demand Thursday in Nigeria’s address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Vice President Kashim Shettima delivered the address on the president’s behalf.
The president also called for five non-permanent seats for Africa, saying the current structure of the Security Council does not reflect the distribution of power in the modern world.
“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,” Tinubu said.
“Africa cannot continue to fill the Council’s agenda while remaining absent from its permanent membership,” he added.
Tinubu said Nigeria’s demand was in line with the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, which form part of Africa’s position on Security Council reform.
“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,” he said.
He said Africa’s permanent representation should reflect its contributions to international peace and security.
“The authority to speak for humanity carries an obligation to represent it,” Tinubu said.
The Security Council currently has 15 members, including five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The five permanent members have veto powers.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also renewed calls for Security Council reform, describing Africa’s absence from permanent membership as unjust and indefensible.
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