Vice President Kashim Shettima has met with the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in New York to discuss Nigeria’s global aspirations during the ongoing UNGA80.
The meeting, which was held on Friday at UN headquarters, centred on Nigeria’s bid for a permanent Security Council seat, climate change, artificial intelligence, and development.
Shettima urged the UN to “support Nigeria even more so that we achieve more,” stressing the country’s quest for permanent membership.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, said the UN Secretary-General commended Nigeria’s determination to secure a permanent position on the Council.
The leaders also discussed achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, strengthening democracy in Africa, and advancing partnerships with the UN Development Programme.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, revealed that Guterres praised Nigeria’s progress in artificial intelligence.
“He was extremely happy when we mentioned Nigeria’s new multilingual and multimodal large language model,” Tijani disclosed.
Guterres encouraged Nigeria to support other African countries in AI development to ensure the continent benefits fully.
Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Yusuf Tanko Sununu, highlighted government efforts on poverty reduction during the talks.
“We have one of the largest social registers, with almost 18.9 million households, and reached 8.1 million Nigerians through conditional cash transfers,” Sununu said.
He noted that UN funding cuts have affected humanitarian support, but assured that Nigeria is working to fill the gap.
According to Sununu, Guterres promised continued UN support to strengthen Nigeria’s humanitarian capacity and funding access.
Strengthening Global Partnerships
Earlier, Shettima met UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, with both sides pledging deeper ties in trade, defence, and migration.
The Vice President also addressed the Global Leadership Council Meeting at UNICEF headquarters, highlighting Nigeria’s digital economy agenda.
“We are poised to take opportunities in the digital space to engage youth and empower women,” Shettima assured.
He stressed inclusivity as a cornerstone of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, noting that young Nigerians now occupy key government roles.
Calls For UN Reform
Meanwhile, at the UN General Assembly, President Bola Tinubu, represented by Shettima, called for sweeping UN reforms.
He warned that the organisation risked irrelevance if it failed to adapt to global realities.
Tinubu condemned ongoing human suffering in conflict zones, describing them as “stains on our collective humanity.”
He also argued that Nigeria’s economic transformation offers a model for developing nations.
