The Nigerian Government has renewed its call for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, citing its significant contributions to global peacekeeping efforts.
Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, highlighted this during the 79th United Nations General Assembly, emphasizing Nigeria’s participation in 41 peacekeeping missions and the deployment of over 200,000 troops since its first mission in Congo in 1960.
Speaking at the “Summit of the Future” interactive dialogue on enhancing multilateralism for peace and security, Badaru stressed the importance of reforming the UN Security Council to include permanent representation for Africa. He argued that such reform would ensure more equitable representation and bolster global peace efforts.
Nigeria’s contributions have included involvement in peacekeeping missions across Africa, including Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Sudan, and Sierra Leone. Badaru reiterated that Nigeria’s extensive role in these missions underlines its commitment to global security and peacebuilding, strengthening its case for a permanent seat on the Security Council.
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Mohammed Badaru, also called for the strengthening of African armies and the operationalization of the African Standby Force to effectively combat terrorism. Badaru emphasized the need for comprehensive strategies to tackle transnational crime, illegal arms trafficking, and terrorism, particularly in the Sahel region.
Badaru stressed that Nigeria supports the building of professional armies across Africa and the establishment of a counter-terrorism center of excellence. He highlighted the urgency of scaling up efforts to address the rising alliance between terrorists and bandits, including kidnappings for ransom and piracy.
He further called on the international community to intensify measures to control the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in conflict zones, warning that unrestricted access to these arms by non-state actors exacerbates insecurity and instability.
In reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to global peace, Badaru urged enhanced regional cooperation, capacity building, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, stressing the importance of comprehensive prevention, early detection, and law enforcement strategies to address organized crime. He also underscored the need for international efforts to tackle illegal financial flows associated with transnational crime.
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