By Lawrence Agbo
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, has said President Bola Tinubu is dissatisfied with Africa’s continued exclusion from the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Ibrahim said the President believes the current structure of the Security Council no longer reflects global realities, especially given Africa’s population and representation within the UN.
According to the envoy, Tinubu has consistently argued that it is unfair for Africa to remain without a permanent seat on the Security Council despite accounting for about 30 per cent of the UN’s membership and roughly 25 per cent of the world’s population.
“President Tinubu has some concerns about the United Nations,” Ibrahim said. “His major argument is that why is it that the United Nations did not admit any African country into the permanent seats of the Security Council. This worries him a lot.”
He added that the President had raised the issue in previous speeches and also discussed it with Ghanaian President John Mahama, insisting that Africa deserves permanent representation in the UN’s most powerful decision-making body.
Ibrahim explained that Africa’s exclusion stems from historical circumstances rather than deliberate discrimination, noting that most African countries had not gained independence when the United Nations was established in 1945.
“The reason why we are not in the Security Council is not because of discrimination. It is the fact that when the UN was formed in 1945, most African countries had not gotten independence, so they were not there to discuss the Security Council,” he said.
He noted that Nigeria only joined the UN after gaining independence in 1960, years after the organisation had already established its permanent Security Council structure.
The ambassador argued that changing global realities justify renewed discussions on reforming the Security Council to ensure fairer representation for Africa.
Ibrahim also defended Tinubu’s decision not to personally attend recent sessions of the United Nations General Assembly, saying there was “no crime” in the President’s absence since Vice President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria and delivered what he described as “a very brilliant and beautiful” speech.
Expressing optimism about Nigeria’s diplomatic efforts, Ibrahim said he believes Tinubu will eventually succeed in helping the country secure a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
“I can assure you that President Tinubu will secure a Security Council seat very soon,” he said.
(The Sun)