Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s foreign minister, has indicated that it is time for Nigeria to join the United Nations (UN) Security Council.
Tuggar, who appeared live on Channels Television’s program on Wednesday, argued that the country is due to participate in international decision-making.
“It’s time to reform; it’s time for Nigeria to be in there – the security council,” the minister said.
“In terms of democracy, we are also looking to democratise the global system; we are agitating for that. Nigeria needs to be on the big table where decisions are taken about the global economy and the entire planet. That is why it’s important for us to be participating in the G20,” he said.
The major duty for safeguarding world peace and security rests with the United Nations Security Council, a component of the UN.
It has ten elected members and five permanent members: China, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Russia.
However, the minister requested that the UN be reformed, calling permanent membership on the UN Security Council “an old thing.”
“Of course, we are calling for a reform of the United Nations because the Security Council has five permanent members. This is anachronistic – an old thing that came about at the end of the Second World War,” he said.
When asked what criteria the Security Council will use to evaluate whether Nigeria should be included, the minister stated that Nigeria has an edge due to its population size and role in the freedom of other African states.
“We are the largest country in Africa, and 50 per cent of Africans are Nigerians. We are projected to become the third-largest country in the world by the year 2050.
“We are the largest economy; we’ve always been a leader. We stood up and championed the liberation of African countries from racist regimes,” he said.
“It’s going to be India, China, then Nigeria.”
