Vice President Kashim Shettima returned to Nigeria on Monday after leading the country’s delegation at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, where he delivered President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s national statement and championed reforms to global governance structures. A statement from the Office of the Vice President, issued by Senior Special Assistant on Media & Communications Stanley Nkwocha, confirmed Shettima’s departure from Abuja on September 20 with the mandate to represent Nigeria at the annual global forum. During the summit, he emphasized Nigeria’s call for permanent African representation on the UN Security Council, fairer global financing mechanisms, and enhanced climate action, framing these as critical to equitable international cooperation.
Shettima’s UNGA engagements included participation in the Third High-Level Roundtable of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, where President Tinubu urged African nations to prioritize value addition over raw mineral exports. At a high-level education financing event co-hosted by Nigeria and Italy, the vice president reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to education as a cornerstone of economic growth, endorsing the Global Partnership for Education’s $5 billion funding initiative. He also met with the new ECOWAS Commission leadership and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, while addressing diaspora communities to highlight their role in Nigeria’s development through investment and expertise.
The vice president’s remarks underscored Nigeria’s push for a more representative global order, aligning with Tinubu’s broader vision for multilateralism. Shettima stressed the exclusion of Africa from the UN Security Council undermines global governance, advocating for two permanent seats with veto power for the continent. His interventions spanned development financing, regional integration, technology, and peacekeeping, reflecting Nigeria’s strategic focus on addressing systemic inequities in international institutions. The delegation’s efforts highlighted the nation’s growing diplomatic engagement on global issues, with a focus on empowering African voices in decision-making processes.
Shettima’s UNGA mission reinforced Nigeria’s role as a regional leader committed to advancing pan-African interests on the world stage. By prioritizing Security Council reform, economic diversification, and education investment, the administration seeks to address both domestic challenges and global imbalances. The vice president’s advocacy aligns with broader calls for structural changes in international organizations to better reflect the realities of the 21st century, ensuring equitable participation and representation for all nations.