New York, Sept. 21, 2023 -President Bola Tinubu has advised the United Nations to be more active in transforming and coordinating development activities of member nations.
He said that the U.N. should stop being a talkshop on global world issues to becoming a more active global body.
Tinubu gave the advice during a meeting with António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, in New York on Wednesday.
He decried the gloomy situation in Africa where a large percentage of its resources were being exploited to develop other continents.
Tinubu stressed the need for the global body to work with Africa to address the challenges of poverty and terrorism.
He pledged not to rest until African people had arisen out of poverty even if it required decisions at home that made him temporarily unpopular.
“The poverty ravaging our continent and the question of security and counter-terrorism requires us to work in close and effective synergy.
“The world will ignore Nigeria at its own peril. If we engage in talkshops as real challenges wreak real havoc in real time, we will fail. The time to strike is now. The time to achieve real results is now.
“I fought for democracy. I was detained for democracy. I am now President and I am determined to prove that democracy can provide the development that our nation and our continent so urgently demands.
“Trace those of us here to our foundations and you will find that we have ties and links with poverty. We must not be ashamed of that history, but poverty is unacceptable.
“I am one of the lucky survivors of gripping poverty. Nigeria is truly a giant. 240 million people and counting with a massive youth population. We are done saying too much.
“We seek much action. We have arisen out of poverty as individuals, but until our people have arisen out of that, we will not rest, even if it requires decisions at home that make me temporarily unpopular.
“We are facing the great challenge of scavengers ravaging our lands and oppressing our people on illegal mines—taking our gold and mineral wealth back to developed economies by stealth and violence against Nigerians.
“Where one’s human right ends, the rights of another begin. Most especially for self-protection. If we fight, they say ‘human rights,’ but we will now be aggressive and we will question motives. We will stop what is happening in our land. We require your effective collaboration,” he stated.
In response, Guterres said the UN system was in the process of real reform that will largely address some of the institutional frailties and lack of decision-making power for the developing world,on whose behalf more than 75% of UN resources are accrued.
“We now recognize the need to reform the institution to represent the world as it is today. The questions of debt and SDRs. The fact that middle-income countries have only marginal access to concessional funding.
“In the SDGs Summit, we believe we have a growing political consensus and now, a declaration, in this regard. We are pursuing this with great determination,
“Mr. President, we have high expectations for your presidency after the many bold steps you have taken. Nigeria is an indispensable voice in the sub-region. We will give you every support needed for your success to be achieved. Your success is Africa’s success and we wish you well,” Guterres said.
