President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for a two-state solution as the most dignified path to lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.
Speaking through Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Tinubu urged the international community to uphold human rights and prioritise humanitarian intervention in the Middle East crisis.
“We do not believe that the sanctity of human life should be trapped in the corridors of endless debate. That is why we say, without stuttering and without doubt, that a two-state solution remains the most dignified path to lasting peace for the people of Palestine,” he said.
Human Lives Over Politics
The president stressed that the people of Palestine must never be reduced to statistics or bargaining chips in political conflicts.
“The people of Palestine are not collateral damage in a civilisation searching for order. They are human beings, equal in worth, entitled to the same freedoms and dignities that the rest of us take for granted,” he declared.
He condemned recurring violence and aggression in the region, insisting that peace requires embracing values of tolerance, coexistence, and respect.
Nigeria’s Perspective on Conflict Resolution
Drawing from Nigeria’s own experience with insurgency and communal violence, Tinubu argued that the country’s model—prioritising tolerance and civil values over vengeance—offers lessons for resolving deep-rooted disputes.
“We want to make the choice crystal clear: civilised values over fear, civilised values over vengeance, civilised values over bloodshed,” he said.
A Call for Global Cooperation
Tinubu framed Nigeria’s stance not as partisan but as a moral obligation, warning that extremist groups exploit divisions when the global community fails to act decisively.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to multilateralism, stressing that collective security and global cooperation remain the best tools to defeat extremism and foster sustainable peace.
“We come not as partisans, but as peacemakers. We come as brothers and sisters of a shared world, a world that must never reduce the right to live into the currency of devious politics,” Tinubu said.
Nigeria’s Consistent Position
By positioning the two-state solution as the only viable pathway, Tinubu placed Nigeria firmly among countries advocating for renewed diplomacy in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He urged UN member states to unite in support of justice and peace, stressing that Nigeria’s commitment to human rights, peace, and global stability remains steadfast.
