Connect with us
Advertisement

Nigeria News

Buhari’s UN Speech: Russia-Ukraine War Justifies Nigeria’s Call For Nuclear-Free World

Published

on

Buhari's Speech At UN Assembly: Russia-Ukraine War Justifies Nigeria's Call For Nuclear-Free World
President Muhammadu Buhari at UNGA77
Advertisement

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday said that the damages and more havoc from the lingering Russia-Ukraine war further justifies Nigeria’s resolute calls for a nuclear-free world.

Naija News reports that the Nigerian leader stated this on Wednesday (today) while delivering a speech at the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77) in New York.

Speaking before his counterparts forming the UNGA77 body, President Buhari said it is necessary to discourage the proliferation of nuclear weapons and universal Arms Trade Treaty.

Doing these according to him will do well in preventing global human disasters.

Advertisement

“In this regards we must find quick means to reach consensus on the Nuclear non-proliferation Treaty with related commitments by nuclear weapon states,” the Nigerian president said.

He added: “I remain firmly convinced that the challenges that have come so sharply into focus in recent years and months emphasize the call by Nigeria and many other Member-States for the reform of the Security Council and other United Nations Agencies.

“We need more effective and representative structures to meet today’s demands that have since outgrown a system designed for the very different world that prevailed at its foundation in 1945. Change is long overdue.”

Advertisement

Congratulations To Csaba Korosi

On behalf of Nigeria, President Buhari congratulated the newly elected UNGA77 president, Csaba Korosi.

Buhari said Korosi is deserving of the new leadership role, and assured the leader of the full support and cooperation of the Nigerian delegation throughout his tenure.

He said: “I commend your predecessor, His Excellency Abdullah Shahid, for the many remarkable achievements of the General Assembly under his leadership during these challenging times.

Advertisement
Advertisement

“May I also congratulate the Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres on his ceaseless and untiring efforts to promote peace, security and development, very much in line with his exalted role.”

I Could Have Addressed The Assembly In 1984

Buhari noted at the assembly that the first time he could have been privileged to address the Assembly in that manner was in 1984 when he was the Military Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said: “Thirty-one years later, I had the great privilege to personally address the Assembly in 2015, as the democratically-elected President of my country. As I approach the end of my second and final four-year term, I am reminded of how much has changed in Nigeria, in Africa, and in the world, and yet, how some challenges remain.

“We are now more severely tested by these enduring and new global challenges, paramount among which are conflicts increasingly being driven by non-state actors, proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons, terrorism, violent extremism, malignant use of technology, climate change, irregular migration, and disparities in opportunities for improved standards of living.”

UN Can Be Strong

The Nigerian leader despite the challenging international environment, said the United Nations has proved that it can be strong when the will of its members is harnessed for positive collective action.

The guiding principle of this extraordinary institution according to him, is the promotion of peace and security, development and human rights.

“Latest in a chain of events challenging these principles is the Ukraine conflict which has already created strains that are perhaps unprecedented for a generation.

“Such a conflict will have adverse consequences for us all, hindering our capacity to work together to resolve conflicts elsewhere, especially in Africa, the Middle-East and Asia. Indeed, the ongoing war in Ukraine is making it more difficult to tackle the perennial issues that feature each year in the deliberations of this Assembly, such as nuclear disarmament, the right of the Rohingya refugees to return to their homes in Myanmar, and the Palestinians’ legitimate aspirations for statehood and reduction of inequalities within and amongst nations,” he said.

Buhari stressed that there is the need for more effective and representative structures to meet today’s demands that have since outgrown a system designed for the very different world that prevailed at its foundation in 1945. Change is long overdue.