ABUJA, Nigeria —
Nigeria has joined the growing demand by African leaders for permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council.
Nigeria’s Defense Minister Mohammed Badaru said on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York that such changes would promote fairness and inclusivity.
“We have participated in 41 UN missions for security around the world,” Badal said. “Against this backdrop and in light of Africa’s efforts, we are also calling for reform of the UN Security Council to allow Africa to have a permanent seat. The time is now. We deserve it for justice and equality.”
Other African countries are also calling for change.
“It is unjust, unfair and unsustainable to place the fate of global security in the hands of a select few, when it is the majority who bear the brunt of these threats,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
Similarly, Kenyan President William Ruto has criticised the multilateral system, saying it has “proven insufficient”.
When the Security Council was established, many African countries were still under colonial rule. In 2005, the African Union adopted the so-called Ezulwini Accord in Ethiopia, which guaranteed that Africa would have at least two permanent and five non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council.
But so far, the General Assembly has elected five new members from different geographic regions to the Council for two-year terms. Africa holds three rotating seats on the 15-member Council.
Patrick Agbambu, founder of the Security Watch Africa Initiative, said Africa needed to come together to get good representation.
“The biggest threat to Africa winning this seat is Africa itself,” Agbambu said. “Africa does not have a united front, it does not have a common voice to move two countries, or one country, forward. With a divided parliament, that is not possible.”
“As it stands, the various blocs of the African Union seem to be very divided and each one has very strong opposition to the other blocs. So the world is just looking at Africa,” he said.
Last week, the United States, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, said it was open to giving Africa two seats on the council without the veto power of the other permanent members, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Senator Iloegbu, a security analyst, said African countries were right to have representation on the Security Council but warned that it would not solve all their problems.
“Nigeria is well positioned as it is one of the most important countries in Africa, the most populous in the continent and has great economic potential,” he said. “However, mere membership of the UN Security Council will not guarantee stability in the country unless all the factors that contribute to insecurity are adequately addressed.”
