Nigeria presses case for UN Security Council seat as Shettima meets Guterres
By Kunle Sanni –
Vice President Kashim Shettima has met with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in New York, pressing Nigeria’s case for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and seeking stronger international support for the country’s development agenda.
The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), also focused on climate action, democracy, and Nigeria’s partnership with the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Shettima told the Secretary-General that Nigeria “aspires to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council” and urged the UN to back the country’s ambition.
Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, who briefed reporters after the talks, said Guterres acknowledged Nigeria’s leadership role and welcomed its push for greater representation on the Council.
The discussions also touched on emerging technologies, with the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, revealing that Guterres praised Nigeria’s launch of Africa’s first government-backed multilingual and multimodal large language model. The Secretary-General, he said, encouraged Nigeria to help other African countries harness artificial intelligence for development.
On humanitarian issues, Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, highlighted the Tinubu administration’s interventions, including conditional cash transfers to over 8.1 million Nigerians and efforts to support people with disabilities. He disclosed that while reduced UN funding has constrained programmes such as the World Food Programme’s support for 1.3 million Nigerians, Guterres assured Nigeria of sustained backing and pledged to mobilise more resources.
Earlier in the day, Shettima met with UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, with both sides committing to strengthen bilateral ties in trade, economy, defence, and migration.
The Vice President also participated in the Global Leadership Council meeting at UNICEF Headquarters, where he reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to digital inclusion, youth engagement, and women’s empowerment.
