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Nigeria has demanded at least two permanent seats for Africa on the United Nations Security Council, with veto powers for as long as the privilege exists.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima made the demand while delivering President Bola Tinubu’s national statement at the 81st UN General Assembly in New York.
Nigeria also demanded five non-permanent seats for Africa, in line with the continent’s longstanding common position on reforming the Security Council.
Nigeria demands permanent African representation
Shettima said the current configuration of the UN Security Council no longer reflected contemporary geopolitical realities and weakened the legitimacy of global decision-making.
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- “The world of 2026 cannot remain captive to the distribution of power in 1945,” he said.
He said Africa could no longer remain outside permanent membership while issues concerning the continent continued to receive substantial attention from the Council.
According to him, Nigeria’s position is consistent with the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, adopted as the Common African Position.
Under the Common African Position, Africa seeks at least two permanent seats with all existing privileges, alongside five non-permanent seats on the Council.
Shettima argued that institutions claiming authority to act for humanity must adequately reflect the people on whose behalf decisions are taken.
He linked Security Council reform to efforts to restore confidence in multilateralism amid widening geopolitical divisions.
Nigeria reaffirms commitment to multilateralism
The Vice-President also reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the UN Charter and international cooperation, saying the country supports an international system where diplomacy takes precedence over coercion and international law guides relations among states.
Shettima recalled Nigeria’s contributions to international and regional peace operations in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Mali and The Gambia.
He said Nigeria also continues to work through the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and Gulf of Guinea mechanisms on mediation, counter-terrorism, democratic governance and maritime security.
According to him, persistent conflicts across different regions underscore the need to return to dialogue, collective responsibility and peaceful settlement of disputes.
Shettima identified the conflict in Sudan and other theatres as requiring urgent diplomacy because of their humanitarian, economic and geopolitical consequences.
The Vice-President also warned that propaganda could blur distinctions between victims and aggressors and complicate accountability.
How the Security Council is structured
The UN Security Council has 15 members, comprising five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
The five permanent members hold veto powers, allowing any one of them to block the adoption of a substantive Security Council resolution.
Africa currently has no permanent seat on the Council.
The African Union’s Common African Position provides for at least two permanent African seats with all existing privileges, including veto powers for as long as the privilege exists, alongside five non-permanent seats.
- Nigeria has previously pushed for African representation
- Nigeria’s push for permanent African representation on the UN Security Council is not new.
- In September 2025, Former Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar said Nigeria would intensify its campaign for permanent African representation, citing Africa’s common position under the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration.
The United States had also expressed support in 2024 for creating two permanent seats for African countries on the Security Council, although Washington said it did not support extending veto powers to new permanent members.
Reforming the Council would require changes to the UN Charter. Nairametrics reported that such amendments require approval by two-thirds of the UN General Assembly and ratification by the existing five permanent members.
