President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated the need for the presence of an African country in the UN Security Council and decried the delay in the implementation of that reform.

"No reform of the United Nations system is more urgent than that of the Security Council. Stakeholders around the world are asking how such power could be concentrated, with scant representation," he said in his speech at the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly on Friday in New York.

"The intergovernmental negotiations have taken too long, some 15 years. We must avoid going in cycles. Consensus has been achieved in some of the elements of this reform, especially that of the representation of Africa on the basis of the Elzuwini consensus and the Sirte Declaration. It is unreasonable to expect unanimity in this matter. 

"The issue, indeed, is about justice, not unanimity. Without justice, the legitimacy (even efficacy) of our Organization is called to question. We can and must make substantial, irreversible progress on Security Council reform in the current session," he added.  

President Muhammadu Buhari also raised alarm over the recent trend of the unconstitutional takeover of power in some West African countries, urging world leaders to reject such illegal acts.

According to Buhari, such unconstitutional takeovers, sometimes in reaction to unilateral changes of constitutions by some leaders, should not be tolerated by the international community.

"As leaders of our individual Member-States, we need to adhere to the constitutional provisions of our countries, particularly on term limits.

“This is one area that generates crisis and political tension in our sub-region," he said.

The President urged the international community not only to deal with the symptoms of conflict but also the immediate causes that fuel conflicts in the first place.

"These include poor and undemocratic governance, human rights abuses, poverty, ignorance, injustice and inequalities.

"There are no easy solutions to these conditions. They require long-term investments and more effective international cooperation.

“In this connection, my delegation underscores the importance of promoting peaceful, unfettered, and inclusive participation of states in global actions towards conflict prevention.

"This will facilitate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063,” he said.

The president’s speech, delivered from the podium of the General Assembly hall, addressed other matters on the international agenda of interest to Nigeria, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Arms Trade Treaty, climate change and terrorism.

The speech also touched on the efforts of his administration on anti-corruption, debt suspension, international trade, UN Security Council Reform, Palestinian Question, racial discrimination, among others.

"No reform of the United Nations system is more urgent than that of the Security Council.

Stakeholders around the world are asking how such power could be concentrated, with scant representation," he said in his speech at the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly on Friday in New York.

"The intergovernmental negotiations have taken too long, some 15 years. We must avoid going in cycles. Consensus has been achieved in some of the elements of this reform, especially that of the representation of Africa on the basis of the Elzuwini consensus and the Sirte Declaration. It is unreasonable to expect unanimity in this matter. 

"The issue, indeed, is about justice, not unanimity. Without justice, the legitimacy (even efficacy) of our Organization is called to question. We can and must make substantial, irreversible progress on Security Council reform in the current session," he added.  

President Muhammadu Buhari also raised alarm over the recent trend of the unconstitutional takeover of power in some West African countries, urging world leaders to reject such illegal acts.

According to Buhari, such unconstitutional takeovers, sometimes in reaction to unilateral changes of constitutions by some leaders, should not be tolerated by the international community.

"As leaders of our individual Member-States, we need to adhere to the constitutional provisions of our countries, particularly on term limits.

“This is one area that generates crisis and political tension in our sub-region," he said.

The President urged the international community not only to deal with the symptoms of conflict but also the immediate causes that fuel conflicts in the first place.

"These include poor and undemocratic governance, human rights abuses, poverty, ignorance, injustice and inequalities.

"There are no easy solutions to these conditions. They require long-term investments and more effective international cooperation.

“In this connection, my delegation underscores the importance of promoting peaceful, unfettered, and inclusive participation of states in global actions towards conflict prevention.

"This will facilitate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063,” he said.

The president’s speech, delivered from the podium of the General Assembly hall, addressed other matters on the international agenda of interest to Nigeria, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Arms Trade Treaty, climate change and terrorism.

The speech also touched on the efforts of his administration on anti-corruption, debt suspension, international trade, UN Security Council Reform, Palestinian Question, racial discrimination, among others.