Key Takeaways from Nigeria’s Speech at UNGA

With a bold agenda, Nigeria entered the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, speaking on behalf of the nation on Wednesday, listed demands ranging from economic opportunity to global governance.

Before the debate, Nigeria was said to have pushed for reforms to the global finance system, representation in the UN Security Council, and the debate over Palestinian statehood.

By emphasizing how important those reforms were to Africa’s future and the stability of the global order, the vice president campaigned for them.

It outlined the main conclusions from Shetimma’s speech.

SEAT DEMAND FOR THE UN COUNCIL

Shettima began his address by expressing disapproval of the UN’s “slow pace of progress.”

He clarified that the concerning indications had compelled countries to reject the impartiality of the multilateral organization and tasked the international organization with implementing change that would be effective.

Nigeria’s permanent representation at the UN Security Council is one of the developments, Shettima contended.

As a reliable partner in international peacekeeping and a stabilizing force in regional security, our demand for a permanent seat at the Security Council is a call for representation, justice, and change that will restore the legitimacy of the very organization that multilateralism depends on.

Terrorists hate us because we choose tolerance to oppression. He claimed that their goal was to use hateful words to split us apart and contaminate our humanity.

MINERAL MINING FAIRNESS

The vice president bemoaned the unethical mining practices that left African countries in poverty and scowled at them.

While acknowledging that foreign investments can help reverse deterioration, Shettima pointed out that African nations must also gain from the process.

When communities in Nigeria that have access to essential resources are able to reap the benefits of those resources, we know that our country is more stable. We have traveled this way in the Niger Delta’s oil-producing region,” he remarked.

He stated, “I think that when the nations that produce strategic minerals fairly benefit from those minerals — in terms of investment, partnership, local processing, and jobs,” the international order will be strengthened.

EXPLORING THE DIGITAL WORLD

Through the establishment of a “dedicated initiative” that would unite scholars, the corporate sector, governments, and communities, Shettima also argued for Africa’s engagement in technology breakthroughs to close the digital divide.

The influence of the last 20 years’ information and communication revolution is still being felt, he said, as we stand on the precipice of new and significant technological transformation.

“We are more aware of the opportunities that technology presents and the precautions that are necessary to promote development and reduce the risk of corrosion than we were. Some people are concerned about bogus news. We have a lot of that, and it might have terrible real-world effects on both wealthy and impoverished nations.

The Global Finance Court’s establishment

Measures to supervise the transformation of the global finance architecture were the second demand.

Many nations are weighing the costs of the new global order, according to Shettima, as a result of the world’s security situation becoming more challenging.

Nigerians are already accustomed to making tough decisions like whether to upgrade infrastructure or build defense platforms. tanks or schools?

He went on to say, “If we can access reforms to strengthen the international financial architecture, we can take that progress to the next level, a level that presents new opportunities for trade, investment, and profit.”

Climate change is not a problem in a vacuum.

When US President Donald Trump referred to climate change as the “greatest con job” of all time, Shettima took a different stance.

The vice-president requested that the UN address climate change in order to reconsider how best to employ its limited resources.

He stated that it is not a hypothetical matter concerning an uncertain destiny that will be resolved at a later date.

Palestine’s support and Israel’s condition

Palestine has been recognized as a state by Nigeria since 1988. At the UNGA, however, Shettima backed the resounding call for a two-state solution.

He denounced Israel’s war in Gaza, claiming that the tensions have left the region scarred.

The value of human life shouldn’t be confined to the hallways of never-ending discussion, in our opinion. For this reason, we believe unequivocally that a two-state solution is still the most respectable way to bring about enduring peace for the Palestinian people.

“The Palestinian people are not only bystanders in a society that is trying to find order. They are human beings with equal value who should have the same freedoms and dignity as the rest of us,” he said.