G20 Summit: Nigeria ready to represent Africa on UN Security Council — Tinubu

Lula da Silva [2nd left] and Tinubu [3rd left]

President Bola Tinubu has expressed Nigeria’s readiness to represent Africa in the United Nations Security Council.

He called on the council to reflect global diversity by allocating two permanent seats to Africa, as Nigeria “stands ready and willing to serve as a representative of Africa in this capacity.”

The president said this on Monday at the 19th G20 Leaders Summit opening session in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil., according to a State House release issued early Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, titled, ‘At the G20 Summit in Brazil, President Tinubu endorses the launch of the Global Alliance against hunger and poverty.’

Tinubu said, “The Security Council should expand its permanent and non-permanent member categories to reflect the world’s diversity and plurality better.

“Africa deserves priority in this process, and two permanent seats should be allocated to it with equal rights and responsibilities. Nigeria stands ready and willing to serve as a representative of Africa in this capacity.”

While Tinubu commended the G20 for granting permanent membership to the African Union, he noted that such broad participation would the opportunity for more inclusive and effective discussions to address shared global challenges.

“Some permanent members of the council have shown promising signs of support for this process, which is a positive development. We welcome this shift in attitude and call for a faster pace to the long overdue change.

“The world faces various challenges, including extreme poverty, inequality, climate change, terrorism and global conflicts. These issues are exacerbated by longstanding inequities in the global governance system, which have led to unsustainable sovereign debt and distortions in access to capital markets, trade imbalances, unfair representations and hindered development in the Global South.

“It is our responsibility to find pragmatic solutions to fix these imbalances. Particularly pressing is global taxation, which profoundly impacts developing countries. The current international tax system, largely shaped by the interests of more affluent nations, often leaves developing countries at a disadvantage, especially in taxing digital economies.

“This systemic imbalance has led to significant revenue losses, hampering our efforts towards sustainable development and economic self-reliance. Multilateral institutions must be revamped to bridge the gap between the Global North and South. This is the path for the future and one the G20 must champion. Nigeria is committed to being part of that future through active participation in the G20 and our steadfast support for achieving SDG 2030 targets.”

The Nigerian leader also lauded his Brazilian counterpart, Lula da Silva for championing the creation of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.

Tinubu described the Alliance as a “significant milestone” to eradicate global hunger and poverty.

He said, “This bold and visionary step underscores Brazil’s leadership in addressing one of the most urgent and persistent challenges facing our world today.

“The creation of this Alliance marks a significant milestone in our global efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty, and it also sends a powerful message of solidarity to vulnerable populations around the globe.

“By fostering collaboration between governments, international organisations and civil society, this initiative offers a comprehensive approach not only to addressing immediate needs but also tackling the structural causes of hunger and poverty.”

Tinubu stressed that the alliance corroborates with his administration’s commitment to realising Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2, which focus on eradicating poverty and achieving zero hunger, respectively.