Nigeria renews call for UN permanent seat

Nigeria renews call for UN permanent seat
Helen Shok Jok, Abuja

The visit of the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban KI Moon has offered Nigeria another opportunity to renew its call for permanent membership of the organisations’s Security Council.

President Goodluck Jonathan renewed the call on Monday in a meeting with Ki-moon in Abuja.

Unfair representation

After enumerating Nigeria’s contributions to the attainment of regional and global peace and stability, President Goodluck Jonathan told the Secretary-General that the UN system needs urgent reforms.

President Jonathan noted that Nigeria’s non-representation in the UN Security Council with a permanent member seat was “unfair and untenable”.

He said: “giving the realities of today’s world, a comprehensive reform of the UN system is imperative at this time. Specially, the expansion of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories is necessary. A situation where Africa is totally excluded from the permanent membership of the Council is unfair and untenable. It is therefore my hope that the UN system will support Nigeria’s quest for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. “

Expressing his acceptance of Nigeria’s quest for the Council membership, the UN Secretary-General said that the UN was still negotiating the criteria to determine the expansion of membership of the Security Council.

Earlier, while inspecting a general hospital project in Abuja, Ban Ki-moon commended the improvements made by the Nigerian government in the health sector.

He said the passage of the Health bill by the National Assembly was a commendable effort.

Improved healthcare

He noted that from the statistics on Nigeria’s healthcare system, the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the political reforms, which led to conduct of the April polls, “Nigeria is doing well”.

The UN scribe, whose visit lasted for two days, described the rate at which women across the globe die due to pregnancy and child labour as an unacceptable situation.

In his words, “1,000 women die every day from complications from pregnancy and childbirth.”

He also condemned the rate at which children less than five years of age die as a result of insufficient medical care facilities.

Ban Ki Moon thereby said the situation requires urgent attention.

During his visit, he met with President Goodluck Jonathan and the Cabinet of Nigeria as well as state governors to accelerate implementation of the MDGs.

The symbolism of the global health effort was borne out of the growing concern that Nigeria, according to statistics, has one of the highest maternal mortality burdens in Africa.

Before leaving Abuja, the Secretary-General also meet with the Foreign Minister Henry Odein Ajumogobia and the Chair of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

With additional information from news sources.

Williams

Shakira