15 Key Takeaways from President’s Tinubu Address at 81st UN General Assembly

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Thursday delivered Nigeria’s National Statement at the ongoing 81st session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.

Below are 15 highlights of the national statement of Nigeria as delivered by Vice President Kashim Shettima on behalf of President Tinubu At General Debate Of 81st UNGA

1. President Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to multilateralism, insisting that diplomacy, cooperation and international law must prevail over coercion, isolation and the arbitrary use of power.

2. President Tinubu called for urgent reform of the United Nations Security Council, declaring that the world of 2026 cannot remain governed by the power structure of 1945.

3. Nigeria demanded at least two permanent seats for Africa, with full rights and responsibilities, including the veto for as long as it exists, as well as five non-permanent seats in line with the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration.

4. The President expressed Nigeria’s readiness to assume greater global responsibility, drawing on decades of peacekeeping, mediation and security interventions across Africa, including Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Mali and The Gambia.

5. President Tinubu linked Nigeria’s foreign policy to its domestic economic reforms, stressing that sound macroeconomic management, stronger institutions, strategic investment and private-sector development are central to sustainable growth.

6. Nigeria rejected the false choice between development and climate action, insisting that developing countries must be allowed to industrialise, reduce poverty and expand energy access while pursuing lower-carbon growth.

7. President Tinubu called for predictable climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building, stressing that climate responsibility must be based on equity and shared responsibility rather than charity.

8. Nigeria reaffirmed its Energy Transition Plan and net-zero target for 2060, combining renewable energy, clean cooking, gas as a transition fuel, climate-smart agriculture and nature-based solutions.

9. President Tinubu urged the world not to surrender the future of Artificial Intelligence to fear, saying AI should be harnessed to transform healthcare, education, agriculture, governance and economic productivity.

10. Nigeria invited global partners to work with its youthful population in technology and innovation, while expanding investments in digital public infrastructure, broadband, research and technology entrepreneurship.

11. President Tinubu called for a radical reform of the international financial architecture, wider access to concessional financing and debt frameworks that allow developing countries to invest in education, healthcare and infrastructure.

12. Nigeria identified the African Continental Free Trade Area as a major engine of Africa’s transformation, urging the continent to move from raw-material exports to value addition, manufacturing, innovation and knowledge-driven growth.

13. On security, Nigeria called for stronger intelligence sharing, tighter controls on terrorist financing and illicit arms flows, stressing that military victories must be reinforced by education, opportunity, accountable governance and social inclusion.

14. President Tinubu called for urgent diplomacy in Sudan and other conflict zones, insisting that civilians must be protected, humanitarian access guaranteed and international law respected.

15. Nigeria pledged to choose cooperation over confrontation, dialogue over division and partnership over isolation, declaring that a reformed, inclusive and effective United Nations remains indispensable to global peace, justice and sustainable development.