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Tinubu to UNGA: Reform Now or Risk Losing Relevance

Tinubu to UNGA: Reform Now or Risk Losing Relevance

2 mins

President Bola Tinubu has called for sweeping reforms of the United Nations and other global institutions, warning that failure to act will erode their credibility and influence in addressing the world’s most pressing challenges.

Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Wednesday, Tinubu criticised the UN’s record, describing ongoing human suffering in the Middle East and other regions as “stains on our collective humanity.”

“For all our careful diplomatic language, the slow pace of progress on these hardy perennials of the UN General Assembly debate has led some to look away from the multilateral model,” he said, noting that global events were increasingly being shaped outside the UN system.

Tinubu outlined four core reform demands, starting with Nigeria’s call for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. “The United Nations will recover its relevance only when it reflects the world as it is, not as it was,” he said, citing Nigeria’s population of over 236 million and its growing geopolitical importance.

The President called for a binding global mechanism to address sovereign debt crises, describing it as “an International Court of Justice for money,” which would give developing nations a fair path out of debt dependency. He urged urgent debt relief, framing it not as charity but as a route to global peace and prosperity.

Tinubu pressed for fair investment in Africa’s critical minerals, stressing that countries producing these resources must benefit from processing, jobs, and partnerships, not just raw material exports. He also echoed the UN Secretary-General’s call for digital inclusion, saying “‘A.I.’ must stand for ‘Africa Included.’”

He acknowledged the pain caused by Nigeria’s ongoing economic reforms, including subsidy removal and currency adjustments, but positioned them as a model of resilience for other nations.

Concluding, Tinubu called for renewed commitment to multilateralism, saying, “None of us is safe until all of us are safe. We must make real change, change that works, and change that is seen to work.”