*Backs Nigeria’s Permanent Seat Bid, Praises Tinubu’s Reforms
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The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has renewed calls for Africa’s inclusion as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, describing the continent’s continued exclusion as “indefensible” while charging Nigeria with spearheading Africa’s quest for a restructured global order.
Guterres made the call in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, saying the Security Council’s structure no longer reflects present-day global realities.
“The Security Council must reflect today’s world. This is 2026, not 1946. Whenever decisions about Africa and the world are on the table, Africa must be at the table,” he wrote.
The UN Secretary-General, who backed Nigeria’s bid for the world body’s Security Council seat, also praised the economic reforms of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration as well as Nigeria’s leadership in stabilising the Sahel and ECOWAS regions, despite facing its own security challenges.
Guterres made the remarks Friday night during a high-level bilateral meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima on the sidelines of the 39th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Speaking during the meeting, Guterres said Nigeria’s large population, sustained democratic governance, vast natural and human resources, and longstanding commitment to multilateralism placed it in a unique position to lead Africa in the evolving global order.
“Given Nigeria’s demographic strength, democratic continuity and deep resource base, the country stands a real chance of leading Africa to becoming the next superpower in the evolving global architecture,” he said.
The UN Secretary-General and the Vice President discussed key developments in Nigeria and the country’s expanding leadership role in promoting regional stability across West Africa and the Sahel.
Guterres commended the remarkable and outstanding reforms of the administration of President Tinubu, noting that Nigeria’s bold economic restructuring and security commitments have strengthened its continental standing.
The meeting focused on strengthening Nigeria–UN collaboration to advance global economic growth, peace and security, sustainable development, and a coordinated humanitarian response across Africa.
In his remarks, Shettima thanked the UN Secretary-General for his leadership in advancing global peace, noting that Africa has benefited immensely from his tenure, even as the United Nations undergoes internal restructuring.
“We remain committed to multilateralism and to deepening our partnerships with the United Nations and other global institutions,” the Vice President said.
Shettima also reiterated Nigeria’s longstanding call for comprehensive reform of the United Nations system to reflect evolving global realities.
He emphasised that Africa must have stronger representation in global decision-making structures and declared that Nigeria deserves a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Both leaders pledged to deepen cooperation, with Guterres reaffirming the UN’s support for Nigeria’s reform agenda and its growing leadership role in advancing peace, security, and development across Africa.
The statement adds fresh momentum to long-standing demands for UN Security Council reform, which currently has five permanent members — the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia — all of whom hold veto powers.
Guterres’ latest remarks align with his previous calls for multilateral reform. The UN chief has repeatedly noted that Africa is often the subject of Security Council resolutions on peacekeeping, conflict resolution, and sanctions, yet remains excluded from permanent decision-making authority.
Africa, comprising 54 countries and nearly one-third of UN member states, currently has no permanent representation on the Council.
The demand for reform is anchored in the Ezulwini Consensus, adopted by the African Union in 2005.
The consensus calls for at least two permanent African seats with full veto powers, in addition to five non-permanent seats.
The African Union has repeatedly argued that the current composition of the Council reflects post-World War II power dynamics rather than contemporary geopolitical realities.
Over the years, several African leaders have echoed this demand. Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Jonathan and South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma both advocated permanent African representation during their tenures.
Beyond Africa, leaders such as India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have also pressed for Security Council reform to include emerging powers from the Global South.
Despite broad rhetorical support, amending the Security Council requires approval by two-thirds of UN member states and ratification by all five permanent members, each of whom holds veto power.
Previous reform proposals have stalled over disagreements on the number of new permanent members, veto powers, and regional representation.
While some Western powers have expressed openness to limited reform, consensus among the permanent five remains elusive.
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