Tinubu Urges UN to Embrace Reform or Risk Losing Global Relevance

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged the United Nations to undertake comprehensive reforms or face diminishing relevance on the world stage.

Delivering a statement through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Tinubu outlined four major reform priorities, chief among them Nigeria’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

“Nigeria must have a permanent seat at the UN Security Council. This should take place as part of a wider process of institutional reform. The United Nations will recover its relevance only when it reflects the world as it is, not as it was,” the president declared.

Highlighting Nigeria’s remarkable transformation, Tinubu noted that the country has grown from a colony of 20 million excluded from key global decisions into a sovereign nation of over 236 million people — soon projected to be the third most populous country worldwide — with one of the youngest and most dynamic populations on earth.

The president also voiced frustration at the slow pace of international progress on critical challenges, including nuclear disarmament and Security Council reform.

In addition, Tinubu called for radical changes to the global financial architecture, emphasizing the urgent need for new mechanisms to tackle the sovereign debt crises affecting developing nations.

He further condemned the ongoing humanitarian crises, particularly in the Middle East, describing them as deep stains on the conscience of humanity.