BREAKING: Shettima Storms UN Headquarters, Rallies Guterres’ Backing For Nigeria’s Bid To Join Security Council’s Elite Club

Nigeria’s push to secure a historic Permanent Seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) gained fresh momentum on Thursday as Vice President Kashim Shettima met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York.

Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 80th UN General Assembly, Shettima made an impassioned case for Nigeria’s global aspirations, calling on the UN to recognize Africa’s most populous nation as a critical voice in international security, peacekeeping, and sustainable development.

> “We are aspiring to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. We need the UN to support Nigeria even more so that we achieve more,” Shettima emphasized during a closed-door session with Guterres, according to Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications.

A Broad Agenda Beyond the Security Council

The high-level talks went beyond the UNSC bid. Shettima and Guterres reviewed regional security threats, climate change, humanitarian crises, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while reaffirming Nigeria’s robust partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, disclosed that Guterres lauded Nigeria’s assertive diplomacy and underscored the UN’s deep operational footprint in Nigeria, where multiple agencies are already active.

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr ‘Bosun Tijani, revealed that technology was a standout in the discussions. Guterres reportedly expressed keen admiration for Nigeria’s leap into artificial intelligence, including the launch of Africa’s first government-backed multilingual and multimodal large language model.

“Even as we were leaving, he mentioned that he would love to see Nigeria support other African countries to ensure the continent is not left behind in artificial intelligence,” Tijani disclosed.

Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, briefed the UN chief on Tinubu’s administration’s sweeping social protection programs — from a national social register covering 18.9 million households to conditional cash transfers reaching 8.1 million Nigerians.

He raised the alarm over dwindling donor support, pointing out that the World Food Programme (WFP) currently assists about 1.3 million Nigerians with emergency food supplies. Guterres, in response, pledged to bolster UN support and mobilize resources to strengthen Nigeria’s humanitarian resilience.

Global Backing For Nigeria’s Aspirations

At the end of the session, Guterres reportedly commended Nigeria for its leadership role on the African continent and its unwavering support for multilateralism.

“Generally, the Secretary-General thanked the Nigerian government, especially the President, for ongoing support to the United Nations and assured us that the UN will continue to support Nigeria’s wishes and aspirations,” Sununu said.

As Nigeria intensifies its diplomatic lobbying, Shettima’s mission in New York signals that Abuja is determined to claim a rightful seat at the world’s most powerful security table.