At the ongoing 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Vice President Kashim Shettima held a high-level meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, where discussions centered on Nigeria’s push for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, as well as broader partnerships on democracy, development, and security.
Vice President Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s determination to secure stronger global support, stating: “We are aspiring to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and we call on the UN to support Nigeria even more so that we achieve more.”
The talks also explored collaboration on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), tackling climate change, strengthening democratic institutions in Africa, and deepening cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on regional security and governance.
Speaking after the meeting, Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar revealed that Guterres welcomed Nigeria’s bid for greater global representation and commended the Vice President for championing the country’s aspirations.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed that artificial intelligence featured prominently in the discussions.
He noted that the UN chief lauded Nigeria’s recent launch of Africa’s first government-backed multilingual and multimodal large language model, and expressed hope that Nigeria would support other African nations in harnessing AI for inclusive development.
On humanitarian priorities, Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sununu, highlighted President Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to tackling poverty and improving inclusivity.
He cited the National Social Register covering 18.9 million households and cash transfers to over 8.1 million Nigerians, alongside efforts to support persons with disabilities.
Sununu also underscored challenges caused by shrinking humanitarian funding, noting that the World Food Programme (WFP) currently supports about 1.3 million Nigerians.
He disclosed that the UN Secretary-General assured Nigeria of continued assistance in strengthening the government’s intervention capacity, authenticating its social register, and mobilising more resources for poverty alleviation.
Earlier in the day, Vice President Shettima met with UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, where both leaders pledged to deepen cooperation in trade, defence, economy, and migration.
He also participated in the Global Leadership Council Meeting at UNICEF Headquarters, joining Heads of State, UN agency leaders, business executives, and youth representatives to chart innovative global solutions.
Addressing the gathering, Shettima reaffirmed Nigeria’s resolve to leverage the digital economy for youth engagement and women’s empowerment:
“Be assured that we are poised to take opportunities in the digital space to engage our youth and, most importantly, empower our women, because they are the backbone of our society.
Inclusivity remains a central pillar of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, with young people playing key roles in governance.”
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