President Bola Tinubu has called on world leaders to strengthen multilateralism and expand inclusivity within the United Nations, including granting Nigeria and other African nations permanent seats on the UN Security Council.

Speaking during the General Debate of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Tuesday night, Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said, “Some permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have offered tentative but encouraging indications of support for reforms. We welcome this shift and urge faster progress.”

Tinubu emphasised that the Security Council should be expanded in both its permanent and non-permanent categories to reflect the world’s diversity. “We fully support Secretary-General António Guterres in this effort,” he added. “Africa must be accorded the respect it deserves on the Council, with the same rights and responsibilities as other permanent members.”

The president also called for collective action to tackle global crises such as terrorism, climate change, poverty, and economic instability. He criticised the rising tide of nationalism and unilateralism, which, he argued, threatens to undermine efforts to address these global challenges.

“Today, the core pillars of our organisation—peace, sustainable development, and human rights—are at risk of being weakened by the pursuit of individual national priorities rather than the collective needs of the nations assembled here.”

Tinubu stressed that multilateralism remains the most reliable pathway to addressing existential threats. “Unfortunately, singularity and nationalism are hindering our aspirations for peaceful and collective solutions.”

He highlighted the persistent challenges of terrorism, armed conflict, inequality, and food insecurity, calling on the global community to act decisively. Tinubu lamented that trillions of dollars spent on conflicts have yielded limited results, exposing the failings of the international system.

The president also voiced concerns over the increasing number of military coups in Africa, attributing them to economic underdevelopment. “These coups show just how fragile democracy can be without economic growth and sustained peace,” he said.

He urged world leaders to address citizens’ frustrations by investing in stronger democratic institutions, economic growth, education, and healthcare. Tinubu further called for reforms to the global financial system to better serve developing nations, advocating for debt relief to allow countries in the Global South to achieve meaningful progress.

“The countries of the Global South cannot progress without comprehensive debt relief measures. Special concessions and a review of their debt burdens are critical.”

Tinubu also pressed for a more transparent and equitable multilateral trading system that benefits developing nations and called for the recovery of stolen financial assets from these countries.

On climate change, Tinubu highlighted the devastating floods that recently submerged parts of Nigeria, including Maiduguri, and called on world leaders to honour their commitments from previous climate summits. “If we fail to act now, we risk catastrophic consequences.”

Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to combating terrorism, Tinubu cited the April 2024 “Abuja Declaration” from the High-Level African Counter-Terrorism Meeting and reiterated the need for global cooperation to tackle terrorism, insurgency, and violent extremism.