President Bola Tinubu has renewed Nigeria’s commitment to a nuclear-free world, calling for the complete dismantling of nuclear arsenals worldwide to avert catastrophic risks to humanity and the environment. Speaking through Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar at the UN headquarters in New York on Saturday, September 27, 2025, during the high-level meeting for the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Tinubu stressed that only total eradication can ensure against their use or accidental detonation.
“The continued existence of nuclear weapons is a huge challenge to international peace and security,” Tinubu said, urging nuclear-armed states to show real action by halting testing, development, and modernization efforts.
He voiced frustration over their “resistance and lack of political will” to honor disarmament pledges under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which rests on three pillars: disarmament, non-proliferation, and peaceful nuclear energy use. Nigeria, an early signatory to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), called on all nations to ratify it without delay and emulate Africa’s Pelindaba Treaty, which bans nuclear devices across the continent.
Tinubu highlighted Nigeria’s embrace of nuclear technology for development, like energy and medicine, while emphasizing strict compliance with global safety norms. “Member states must demonstrate sincerity toward a nuclear-free world,” he added, warning that the benefit enhanced security and survival far outweigh the hurdles.
