Vice President Kashim Shettima today met with the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at the UN headquarters in the United States to discuss Nigeria’s quest for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and other matters of mutual interest. The meeting also focused on strengthening cooperation in areas such as climate change, democracy, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Speaking at the meeting, Vice President Shettima stressed the need for greater international support. He said, “We are aspiring to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council” and added that “the UN should support Nigeria even more so that we achieve more.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, who was part of the Nigerian delegation, noted that the UN has a strong presence in Nigeria with many of its agencies operating in the country. He told reporters that the UN Secretary-General commended Vice President Shettima for highlighting Nigeria’s push for permanent representation at the Security Council.
Providing more insight into the engagement, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Dr ‘Bosun Tijani explained that the discussions were cordial. He revealed that António Guterres expressed optimism about Nigeria’s growing role in artificial intelligence. According to Tijani, “He was extremely happy when we mentioned that Nigeria, just a few days ago, released our first multilingual and multimodal large language model—the first of its kind on the African continent, backed by any government.” Tijani added that Guterres emphasised that Nigeria should help other African nations ensure the continent is not left behind in artificial intelligence and can use it effectively for development.
Also speaking on the visit, Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing social programmes. He said, “We highlighted that we have one of the largest national social registers containing almost 18.9 million households, and we have reached over 8.1 million Nigerians through conditional cash transfers. We also highlighted the government’s efforts to promote inclusivity for people with disabilities.”
Dr Sununu explained that the meeting also addressed humanitarian concerns, including the impact of reduced funding to UN agencies. He noted that the World Food Programme currently supports about 1.3 million Nigerians receiving emergency food transfers. He said the federal government is determined to “fill the gap” and emphasised that Guterres assured Nigeria of continued support to strengthen the ministry’s capacity, authenticate the social register, and mobilise more funding for humanitarian and poverty reduction activities. “Generally, the Secretary-General thanked the Nigerian government, especially the President, for ongoing support to the United Nations and assured us that the UN will continue to support Nigeria’s wishes and aspirations,” Sununu added.
Earlier in the day, Vice President Shettima held a bilateral meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Lammy MP. Both countries pledged to deepen cooperation in trade, defence, economy, and migration.
The Vice President also participated in the Global Leadership Council Meeting at UNICEF Headquarters, Henry Labouisse Hall, United Nations Plaza, where leaders from across the world, including heads of state, CEOs, civil society champions, and young people, gathered to discuss innovative global solutions. Addressing the gathering, Shettima assured that Nigeria is prepared to take advantage of digital opportunities. He said, “Be assured that we are poised to take opportunities in the digital space to engage our youth and, most importantly, to empower our women because they are the backbone of our society.”
He emphasised that inclusivity is a central pillar of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. According to him, the government has demonstrated this by appointing young people to key positions and by prioritising empowerment for women and girls.