Nigeria demands two permanent UN Security Council seats for Africa

Nigeria has renewed its call for major reforms to the United Nations Security Council, demanding at least two permanent seats for Africa with full membership rights, including veto power while the veto remains part of the Council’s structure.

Speaking at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said Africa could no longer remain excluded from permanent representation in an institution whose structure reflects the global balance of power in 1945.

Nigeria’s position aligns with the African Union’s Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, which call for no fewer than two permanent African seats, five non-permanent seats and the same privileges enjoyed by existing permanent members.

The Nigerian government has cited the continent’s demographic, political and economic importance, as well as Africa’s longstanding contributions to international peace and security, in support of the reform campaign.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also backed greater African representation, describing the continent’s absence from permanent membership as “indefensible.”

However, Nigeria faces a parallel challenge: securing broader African support over which countries would occupy the proposed seats, with South Africa and Egypt also among the continent’s major diplomatic powers.