President Bola Tinubu has called for Africa to be granted at least two permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, complete with veto powers, arguing that the current structure no longer mirrors how global power is distributed.
Tinubu issued this demand on Thursday during his speech at the General Debate of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The President’s address, which was delivered by Vice President Kashim Shettima, also pushed for five non-permanent seats for Africa on the Security Council.
He stated that reforming the global body has to start with restructuring the Security Council, maintaining that Africa cannot keep contributing to the council’s agenda while lacking permanent representation.
“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.
“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.”
Tinubu stated that Nigeria was ready to assume greater responsibility in international peace and security, pointing to the country’s contributions to peacekeeping and mediation efforts throughout Africa.
He mentioned Nigeria’s engagements in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Mali, and The Gambia, noting that the country kept promoting mediation, democratic governance, counter-terrorism, and maritime security via ECOWAS, the African Union, and Gulf of Guinea partnerships.
Regarding climate change, the president dismissed what he called a false choice between development and climate action, stating that developing countries required support to industrialize while cutting emissions.
“We reject the false choice between development and climate action. Developing countries must industrialize, eradicate poverty, and expand energy access through low-carbon pathways supported by technology transfer, capacity building, and climate finance.
“Africa contributes less than four percent of greenhouse gas emissions, yet bears disproportionate consequences. Nigeria remains committed to the Paris Agreement and an equitable energy transition that reflects historical responsibility and capacity while protecting people’s right to development.”
Tinubu stated that Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060 while broadening access to affordable and dependable energy.
He noted that the plan brings together renewable energy, clean cooking, and gas as a transitional fuel, along with climate-smart agriculture and nature-based solutions.
The president further urged that international climate finance be grounded in equity and shared responsibility.
“Finance must be governed by equity and shared responsibility rather than charity, with international commitments translated into accessible, predictable, and adequately funded mechanisms enabling developing countries to pursue climate action without compromising development objectives.”
Speaking on artificial intelligence, Tinubu called for responsible deployment of the technology, saying it could be used either for destructive purposes or to improve lives.
“We refuse to surrender our technological future to paranoia. An invention can be destructive or beneficial, depending on the purposes it serves and the judgement of those who use it.
“A knife can take a life in the hands of an assailant and save one in the hands of a surgeon. We can deploy artificial intelligence to wage war or use it to transform healthcare, education, agriculture, governance, and economic productivity.
“Much of the anxiety surrounding AI reflects the distrust we have allowed to grow among us.”
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He noted that Nigeria was putting money into digital public infrastructure, broadband connectivity, innovation ecosystems, research institutions, and technology entrepreneurship.
Tinubu urged international partners to join forces with Nigerian youths in steering AI toward development.
“We invite the world to work with our inventive, resourceful, and enterprising young people to direct AI towards humanity’s advancement rather than its destruction.”
The president also urged reforms to the international financial system, noting that insufficient financing continued to be one of the greatest barriers to sustainable development.
“Nigeria therefore calls for reform of the international financial architecture, wider access to concessional financing, and debt sustainability frameworks that recognize developmental needs.”
He noted that Nigeria likewise backed creative financing approaches, including private capital, blended finance, South-South cooperation, and strategic partnerships, to drive sustainable development, climate adaptation, and resilient infrastructure.
Tinubu pointed to the African Continental Free Trade Area as a chance to reinforce regional value chains, boost intra-African trade, and advance industrialization.
According to him, Africa needs to stop merely exporting raw materials and instead concentrate on value addition, manufacturing, technological innovation, and growth driven by knowledge.
“Our abundant natural resources must become engines of shared prosperity rather than sources of perpetual dependency.”
Speaking on security, the president said Nigeria’s experience fighting Boko Haram, ISWAP, and other armed groups had shown that military victories alone could not guarantee lasting peace.
“Nigeria’s prolonged struggle against Boko Haram, ISWAP, and other armed groups has taught us that military victories require enduring foundations in education, economic opportunity, accountable governance, and communities whose rights and dignity are protected. Development cannot take root where violence repeatedly uproots livelihoods, and peace cannot endure where injustice and exclusion replenish the ranks of those who threaten it.”
Tinubu urged stronger international collaboration to combat terrorism, organized crime, cyberattacks, and illicit finance.
He also voiced concern over the ongoing conflicts in Sudan and other war-ravaged nations, urging urgent diplomacy and the protection of civilians.
“All parties must uphold international humanitarian and human rights law, protect civilians, and facilitate humanitarian access. Negotiated settlements must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The President stated that Nigeria remained dedicated to settling disputes peacefully under the UN Charter, and he called for the strengthening of peacekeeping, peacebuilding, mediation, and institution-building.
“We place our faith in diplomacy because military victories alone cannot secure lasting peace.”
Tinubu went on to call for greater recognition of Africa’s contribution to global development, portraying the continent as a possible major engine of global growth.
“Developing countries must be recognized as indispensable partners whose contributions to global solutions and shared prosperity extend far beyond their need for assistance.”
He stated that the UN needs to change so it mirrors the hopes of current and coming generations, cautioning that bodies that did not adapt could lose their significance.
Tinubu stated that Nigeria would keep backing collaboration, dialogue, and partnership between nations. ↻
“Nigeria pledges to choose cooperation over confrontation, dialogue over division, hope over fear, and partnership over isolation.”
Wrapping up the speech, the president noted that a reformed UN was still essential for attaining global peace and sustainable development.
“A reformed, inclusive, and effective United Nations is indispensable to the peaceful, just, and sustainable world that future generations deserve. Whatever our differences, we must remember that humanity is our oldest citizenship, and peace is the inheritance we owe every child.”
The demand arose amid fresh appeals for reform of the UN Security Council, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres described Africa’s ongoing exclusion from permanent membership as “unjust and indefensible.” Speaking as world leaders convened in New York for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Guterres stated that the council must be reformed to mirror today’s global order.
He said, “We must reform the Council so that it reflects today’s world with the legitimacy and effectiveness that today’s challenges demand.”
At present, the 15-member council includes five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—each of which holds veto power.
The African Union has been pushing for a minimum of two permanent seats with full rights, including veto power should the veto remain in place, along with five non-permanent seats.
Guterres has time and again supported reforming global institutions so they mirror today’s geopolitical realities.
In February, he told African leaders that the lack of permanent African seats on the council was “indefensible,” contending that the UN system ought to reflect present-day realities instead of those of 1945.
