Nigeria deserves a seat on UN Security Council – Osinbajo

Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has advocated a permanent membership status for Nigeria in the Security Council of the United Nations, stating that the country deserves it because of its contributions to international peace keeping, the size of its population and economy.

Delivering a keynote address today at the Africa launch of the Global Commission Report, Confronting the Crisis of Global Governance at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Prof. Osinbajo said ” Nigeria fully shares the views expressed in the Report, that the United Nation’ Security Council should be expanded including the call in the Report for restraint on the use of veto by the five permanent members of the Council.”

He continued ”in addition, we take the position based on our peacekeeping role in the United Nations, the size of our economy, and the fact that we have the largest population in the continent to say that Nigeria deserves a permanent status in the Security Council”.

The Vice President is of the view that since Africa is the only continent without a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, Nigeria has the strongest profile to represent Africa and therefore balance the membership composition of the Council.

Speaking on the issue of good governance, the Vice President affirmed that ” it is clear that the crisis of global governance has deeply contributed to and continues to engender insecurity, corruption, injustice, insurgency, violent extremism, terrorism, piracy, cyber-crime, underdevelopment, climate change fears among many vices.”

Concerned that Africa is at the centre of this crisis, Prof. Osinbajo stated that ”for instance, the Report highlighted the issue of intersection between justice and insecurity. It opens up the question of the place of social justice in ensuring security”. He added that ” there are those who believe that the absence of social justice in parts of our continent is partially responsible for the insecurity experienced in many of the countries in this continent”.