UN @80: Nigeria Seeks Reforms, Permanent Security Council Seat

Nigeria has called for renewed commitment to multilateralism and reform of the United Nations as the global body marks its 80th anniversary.

Speaking at a commemorative event held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja on Friday, the Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Dunoma Umar, stressed that the anniversary should serve as a time to evaluate how the United Nations can more effectively address current global challenges.

Represented by Ambassador Wahab Akande, the Chief of Protocol at the Ministry, Umar stated, “This anniversary of the UN must not be a sentimental retreat into nostalgia. It must be a moment of truth, an opportunity to examine where we have stumbled and how we could have done better in turning our values into action that meet the demands of today,” Umar said.

He said the UN’s relevance depends on how well it adapts to current realities. “The United Nations will discover its true relevance only when it sees the world as it is, not as it was,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary noted that Nigeria’s experience reflects the transformation of the international system since 1945.

“When the UN was founded, we were a colony of 20 million people, absent from the tables where decisions about our fate were taken; today, we are a sovereign nation of well over 200 million”, he said.

Umar reiterated Nigeria’s demand for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, describing it as “a demand for fairness, for continental equitable representation, and for reform that projects credibility to the very institution upon which the hope of multilateralism rests.”

He said Nigeria supports the Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative and the July 18 resolution to reform the UN for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

“None of us can achieve a peaceful world in isolation. Sovereignty is a tied covenant of shared responsibility, a recognition that our survival is tied to the survival of others,” the perm sec.

On Nigeria’s contribution to global peacekeeping, Umar said the country had taken part in 51 out of 60 UN peacekeeping operations since independence.

“Our soldiers and civilians are living legends with a proud legacy in Nigeria,” he said.

He also addressed ongoing conflicts around the world, including the situation in Gaza.

“We do not believe that the sanctity of human life should be trapped in the corridors of endless debate.

“Nigeria, like the rest of the world, stands and says, without doubt, that a two-state solution remains the only path to lasting peace for Israel and Palestine,” the perm sec noted.

On domestic security, he said Nigeria’s fight against insurgency had shown that long-term peace depends on shared values.

“Military tactics may win battles measured in months and years, but in wars that span generations, it is values and ideas that deliver the ultimate victory,” he said.

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Umar also discussed Nigeria’s economic reforms and regional cooperation, saying the government had “taken the difficult but necessary steps to restructure our economy and remove distortions, including subsidies and currency controls.”

The perm. sec. urged global partners to support debt relief and fairer trade arrangements. “We need urgent action to promote debt relief—not as an act of charity but as a clear path to the peace and prosperity that benefits us all,” he said.

The diplomat also called for investment in Africa’s natural resources to promote stability.

“Africa has in abundance the critical minerals that will drive the technologies of the future. Investment in exploration, development and processing of these minerals, in Africa, will diversify supply to the international market, reduce tensions between major economies and help shape the architecture for peace and economic emancipation,” he noted.

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Concluding his remarks, Umar said Nigeria remained committed to peace, development, and the defence of human rights.

“Let’s strive for a world where the freedom, dignity, and worth of every person are upheld, and no one is left behind. None of us is safe until all of us are safe,” he said.