President Bola Tinubu has received the United Nations’ proposed $14 billion budget for 2027, in a development described as historic for Nigeria. Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jimoh Ibrahim, who chairs the UN General Assembly’s Fifth Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Matters, presented the seven-volume document to him at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Mr Ibrahim said the presentation marked a significant milestone, as Nigeria is chairing the committee responsible for the organisation’s budget and administrative affairs for the first time in 66 years. He explained that UN Secretary-General António Guterres had to xchwldhob kdr taaawzaf to the committee before lk mvn presented to the Nigerian president.
Giving a breakdown of the proposed budget, Mr Ibrahim said approximately $3.4 billion was earmarked for the regular budget, while about $8.5 billion was allocated to peacekeeping operations. He put the overall proposed budget at around $14 billion, equivalent to between ₦36 trillion and ₦40 trillion. The document covers the organisation’s regular expenditure, peacekeeping activities and other financial commitments.
The Nigerian envoy also highlighted the scale of the United Nations’ spending by citing the construction of a conference centre in Kenya estimated to cost about $260 million. However, he declined to disclose what Nigeria could gain from its position in the budgetary process, explaining that negotiations were still ongoing and it would be premature to discuss possible benefits.
Mr Ibrahim stressed that the budget remained a proposal and had not received final approval. He explained that member states would examine the document, negotiate its contents and make adjustments before the final figures were approved and spending commenced. Nigeria’s chairmanship of the Fifth Committee places its representative at the centre of discussions on the UN’s financial and administrative affairs, although the presentation itself does not mean Nigeria has secured any specific financial allocation or benefit.
