Nigeria, through President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has appealed for the support of the United States in securing membership in the G20 and a seat on the United Nations Security Council. The plea was made during a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.
Following the discussions, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, highlighted the fruitful deliberations on various topics, including agriculture, food security, pharmaceuticals, security, and artificial intelligence.
During the briefing, Tuggar underscored Nigeria’s status as the largest economy in Africa, asserting that the country deserves to represent the African voice on the UN Security Council, given that 60% of the resolutions passed by the UNSC pertain to Africa-related issues.
President Tinubu also raised the matter of Nigeria’s participation in the G20 during the bilateral talks. Tuggar revealed that decisions were reached on various issues, including the upcoming Nigeria-U.S. binational commission scheduled for March 11th to 13th, 2024.
Highlighting Nigeria’s significance as the most populous nation in Africa with the largest economy, Tuggar emphasized the need for representation in key decision-making bodies. He stated, “We feel it necessary and deem it fit for Nigeria to be represented in these decision-making bodies, as many as 60% of the resolutions passed by the UN Security Council, in one way or the other, related to Africa, so Africa needs to be represented.
Quest: Emmanuel kelvin