NEWS COMMENTARY
FOR BROADCAST ON THURSDAY OCTOBER 15, 2009
WHY NIGERIA SHOULD BE A MEMBER OF THE UNITED
NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL.
BY BEN SHEMANG
Countries vying for the non-permanent
seats at the UN Security Council will know their
fate later today. Elections would be held during the
64th session of the UN General Assembly on October
15, to fill the ten positions of non-permanent
members of the Security Council. Nigeria is one of
those countries seeking election into the Council of
the world body.
Nigeria commenced campaign to secure one of the
seats on the Council for 2010-2011 long before now
basing its campaign on its Pedigree in international
Peacekeeping.
Nigeria’s candidature has already been endorsed by
the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU).
To win the seat, Nigeria must secure a minimum of
127 votes, which is two-thirds of the 192-member UN
General Assembly.
The UN zoned the ten available seats of none
permanent members to the various blocs of the world
with three of the seats lefts for Africa. Already,
the African Union has further shared the three
seats, one each to West, North and Southern Africa.
Expectedly, international campaigns and manoeuvrings
characterised the run-off to today’s vote with the
various countries pushing their candidature.
In West Africa, three countries, Togo, Sierra Leone
and Nigeria have indicated interest to clinched the
exulted position despite ECOWAS and AU endorsement
of Nigeria.
The charter relating to election into the Security
Council non-permanent members, provides that in the
first instance, members must have a track record of
contributions to the maintenance of international
peace and security for mankind. Nigeria has
eminently fulfilled this condition. Nigeria is first
in Africa and second only to India in the
contribution of troops in support of UN efforts at
achieving global peace and security. The country
currently chairs the UN Special Committee on
peacekeeping operations.
Nigeria’s involvement in UN peace efforts, dates
back to October 1960, at the attainment of
independence from Britain with the contribution of
troops to restore peace in the Congo. Nigeria also
honoured UN request by sending troops to Chad,
Haiti, Lebanon, Bosnia Herzegovina and many others
conflict regions of the world.
Nigeria’s peace-keeping efforts in Liberia and
Sierra Leone is legendary in many ways. It was the
first time in Africa that a state would mobilize
such enormous multinational peace-keeping force with
the aim of restoring peace in a fellow African
country. Nigeria committed more than eight billion
dollars and lost an estimated ten thousand troops in
restoring peace to Liberia.
Nigeria’s role in the formation and sustenance of
ECOWAS and its military high command ECOMOG
positions it shoulders higher than any other
candidate in the zone to clinch the non-permanent
membership of the Security Council.
As countries cast their votes, language sentiments
must give way for credibility and ability to do the
job. Nigeria has done it before and it can do a lot
much more if given the opportunity.
The move this week by Nigeria’s foreign Affairs
minister chief Ojo Maduekwe where he presented
Nigeria’s candidacy to all foreign missions and
Embassies in the country, was timely and a wise one
as it is the best way to convince friends of Nigeria
to Vote for a country that has left no stone
unturned in the quest for world peace and security.
The time to reciprocate Nigeria’s efforts is now.