By Bashir Aliyu
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar has renewed call for Nigeria to be given the status of a permanent member at the United Nation Security Council.
Tuggar made this call during a press conference in Abuja alongside the United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Mr. Blinken made an unannounced visit to Abuja on Monday when the diplomat was received in Abuja by his Nigerian counterpart Yusuf Maitama Tuggar.
According to Tuggar, “Nigeria is the most populous nation on the African continent and the largest economy.” He said given the strategic importance of Africa at the United Nations where nearly sixty percent of resolutions being passed by the decision making body are related to Africa, Nigeria should be a permanent member at United Nation Security Council in order to represent the interests of Africans. He added that Nigeria’s 4D Foreign Policy which stands for democracy, development, demography, and diaspora is designed pursue these interests.
Mr. Tuggar also highlighted the importance of Nigeria’s strategic partnerships with the United States in the areas of agriculture and security in West African region stating that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Anthony Blinken discussed the security situation in the region especially the dynamic security situation in the Sahel where the spate of military coups has led to the resurgence of militancy, and humanitarian situation in the region.
Moreover, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said the upcoming launch of Nigeria-US Bilateral Commission scheduled to take place on 11-13 of March, 2024 was a strong sign that Nigeria-US bilateral relationships are robust.
On his part, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said “Africa shaped our past, it is shaping our presence, and it will shape our future.” He said the United States is committed to genuine partnerships with Africa, and Nigeria which is the continent’s largest country, largest economy and largest democracy is an integral part of the US policy on the African continent.
He said Nigeria and the US are closely working together to accelerate growth and economic activities between the two countries especially on climate action, security and Artificial Intelligence. The diplomat added that Nigeria under President Tinubu is working on tackling some of the major hurdles that impede foreign direct investment such as corruption subsidy removal, hailing President Tinubu for “bold move to remove fuel subsidy and currency reforms.
The diplomat highlighted that his country would continue to support Nigeria in its economic reforms which are to vital economic stability which could also incentivize foreign companies to heavily invest in Nigeria.