Tinubu Calls for UN Reform, Debt Court, Security Council Seat
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has warned that the United Nations (UN) must urgently reform its institutions or risk becoming increasingly irrelevant in global affairs. Speaking at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the President represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima outlined sweeping proposals on Security Council reform, conflict resolution, sovereign debt, and Africa’s economic future.
Tinubu criticised the UN’s slow pace of action, citing ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere as “stains on our collective humanity.” He said the organisation’s reliance on “careful diplomatic language” has left it paralysed on issues where decisive action is needed.
Top of Nigeria’s reform demands is a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. “Nigeria must have a permanent seat… The United Nations will recover its relevance only when it reflects the world as it is, not as it was,” Tinubu said, stressing the nation’s growing population, economic reforms, and global role.
He also called for a new international mechanism to manage sovereign debt, describing it as “a sort of International Court of Justice for money” that would allow developing nations to escape dependency on raw exports and debt traps. Debt relief, he argued, must be treated as a necessity for global stability, not charity.
On conflicts, Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for a two-state solution in Palestine, declaring: “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 also positioned Africa’s mineral wealth as central to future stability, urging fair partnerships, local processing, and job creation in resource-rich nations. “When we export raw materials, tension, inequality, and instability fester,” he said.
The President further demanded urgent action to close the digital divide, echoing the UN Secretary-General’s call that “AI must stand for Africa Included.”
Turning to domestic reforms, Tinubu acknowledged the hardships caused by Nigeria’s economic restructuring, including subsidy removal and currency reforms, but argued that they lay the foundation for long-term stability. He added that the fight against terrorism must focus on values and ideas, not just military force.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to peace, multilateralism, and human rights, Tinubu urged world leaders to act decisively: “We must make real change, change that works, and change that is seen to work. If we fail, the direction of travel is already predictable.”
