Shettima Says Africa’s UN Security Council Exclusion Undermines Global Governance
Mirian Gom 
Vice President Kashim Shettima meets UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed in New York
ABUJA, Nigeria – Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Africa’s continued exclusion from permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council undermines the fairness and legitimacy of the global governance system.
Shettima made the statement during a meeting with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for reform of the United Nations and said the country would continue to support efforts to make international institutions more representative and responsive.
Shettima also commended UN Secretary-General António Guterres for supporting a more representative Security Council and his calls for permanent African representation. “A continent cannot be summoned to bear the burdens of the international order and then denied an equal hand in directing it,” Shettima said, according to a statement by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha.
The Vice President said Nigeria would continue to support reforms that reflect contemporary geopolitical and demographic realities.
He also praised Guterres for defending international law and human dignity amid conflicts and geopolitical tensions.
Shettima said diplomacy should remain focused on the human consequences of war and instability. “The mother searching for her child, the family driven from home and the hungry child awaiting food must never become abstractions in the language of states,” he said.
He also commended Amina Mohammed for her contributions to multilateral diplomacy and sustainable development.
Mohammed expressed appreciation to Nigeria and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for their support for the United Nations and her work as Deputy Secretary-General. “I want to thank, through you, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and you for embracing me wholeheartedly not just as the DSG but as a daughter of the soil,” she said, according to the statement.
Shettima said Nigeria would remain engaged in efforts to restore trust among nations and address challenges linked to hunger, violence and exclusion.
Nigeria has separately reiterated its demand for at least two permanent African seats on the Security Council, with veto powers for as long as the veto exists, as well as five non-permanent seats for Africa.
The Security Council currently has 15 members, including five permanent members with veto power, while no African country holds a permanent seat.
Shettima was accompanied at the meeting by several state governors, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jimoh Ibrahim, and other senior officials.
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