New York—Vice President Kashim Shettima met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at UN headquarters today to advance Nigeria’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and discuss mutual priorities. Shettima underscored Nigeria’s aspirations, stating, “We seek greater UN support to achieve our goals, including a permanent seat on the Security Council.”
The bilateral talks covered critical issues, including progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), climate change, strengthening democracy in Nigeria and Africa, and collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on regional democracy and security initiatives.
Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, speaking to the press post-meeting, noted the UN’s strong presence in Nigeria, with numerous agencies based there. He revealed that Guterres commended Shettima’s advocacy for Nigeria’s Security Council bid.
Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy Bosun Tijani described the engagement as cordial, highlighting Guterres’ enthusiasm for Nigeria’s advancements in artificial intelligence. “He was thrilled to learn Nigeria recently launched Africa’s first government-backed multilingual, multimodal large language model,” Tijani said. Guterres urged Nigeria to lead in ensuring Africa leverages AI for development, preventing the continent from falling behind.
Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Yusuf Sununu emphasized the Tinubu administration’s efforts in addressing humanitarian challenges and poverty. “We discussed our national social register, covering nearly 18.9 million households, with over 8.1 million Nigerians benefiting from conditional cash transfers,” he said. Sununu also highlighted inclusivity efforts for people with disabilities and noted challenges from reduced UN funding, with the World Food Programme supporting 1.3 million Nigerians with emergency food aid. Guterres assured continued UN support to enhance Nigeria’s social register and secure funding for poverty reduction.
The Secretary-General expressed gratitude for Nigeria’s ongoing support to the UN and reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to Nigeria’s aspirations.
Earlier, Shettima met with UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, where both nations pledged deeper cooperation in trade, economy, defense, and migration. Later, at the Global Leadership Council Meeting at UNICEF Headquarters, Shettima reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to leveraging digital opportunities for youth engagement and women’s empowerment. “Inclusivity is a cornerstone of President Tinubu’s administration, with young people holding key government roles,” he said, addressing global leaders, CEOs, UN agency heads, and youth advocates on innovative global solutions.
