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Solomon Uzor
4 weeks ago
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#UNGA80: VP Shettima Delivers Nigeria's Statement To The UN General Assembly
THE NATIONAL STATEMENT OF HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU GCFR, @officialABAT
DELIVERED BY
HIS EXCELLENCY, KASHIM SHETTIMA, GCON, @officialSKSM VICE-PRESIDENT, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA,
DURING THE GENERAL DEBATE OF THE 80TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, NEW YORK #UNGA80
THEME: BETTER TOGETHER: 80 YEARS AND MORE FOR PEACE, DEVELOPMENT, AND HUMAN RIGHTS
24th SEPTEMBER 2025
Madam President,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,
Distinguished Delegates,
The chaos that shadows our world is a reminder that we cannot afford the luxury of inaction. We would have been consumed by our differences had there been no community such as this to remind us that we are one human family. Even in our darkest hours, we have refused to be broken. This community was born from the ashes of despair, a vehicle for order and for the shared assurance that we could not afford to falter again. Our belief in this community is not a posture of moral superiority but an undying faith in the redemption of humanity. It is, therefore, with profound humility that I stand before you today, as Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to renew this pledge on behalf of my country.
Madam President,
1.Nigeria joins the comity of nations in congratulating you on your election as President of the General Assembly for the 80th Session and assures you of our unalloyed support during your tenure. I commend your predecessor, my brother, His Excellency, Philémon Yang, and the Secretary-General, His Excellency, António Guterres, for the outstanding stewardship and unifying leadership during these extraordinary times.
2.This anniversary must not be a sentimental retreat into nostalgia. It must be a moment of truth, a pause to measure where we have stumbled and how we might have done better in turning our values into action that meets the demands of today. We are here to deliver a world of peace and development, where the respect for human rights is paramount. We must recalibrate the delicate balance between our roles as sovereign governments and our duties as collective partners, to renew multilateralism in a world that has evolved far beyond what it was in 1945.
3.The pace of change across borders is a force without pause. It manifests in the tools of technology, in the movements of information and finance, in the corrosive ideologies that preach violence and division, in the gathering storm of the climate emergency, and in the tide of irregular migration. We must own this process of change. When we speak of nuclear disarmament, the proliferation of small weapons, Security Council reform, fair access to trade and finance, and the conflicts and human suffering across the world, we must recognize the truth. These are stains on our collective humanity.
4.For all our careful diplomatic language, the slow pace of progress on these hardy perennials of the UN General Assembly debate has led some to look away from the multilateral model. Some years ago, I noticed a shift at this gathering: key events were beginning to take place outside this hall, and the most sought-after voices were no longer heads of state. These are troubling signs. Nigeria remains firmly convinced of the merits of multilateralism, but to sustain that conviction, we must show that existing structures are not set in stone. We must make real change, change that works, and change that is seen to work. If we fail, the direction of travel is already predictable.
5.We are here to strengthen the prospects for peace, development and human rights. Madam President, I want to make four points today to outline how we can do this:
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