Africa deserves two permanent seats at UN security council, says Tinubu at TICAD9

Delivering his intervention at the plenary session on peace
and stability during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African
Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, Tinubu argued that Africa deserves two
permanent seats with full privileges.

The president said the continent also deserves additional
non-permanent seats in line with the Ezulwini consensus and Sirte declaration.

“It is the view of Nigeria that Africa’s quest for fair and
equitable representation in the UN Security Council is a just and fair demand,”
Tinubu said.

“Indeed, Africa deserves two seats in the permanent
category, with all its prerogatives and privileges, including the right of
veto. Africa also deserves additional seats in the non-permanent seat category
of the security council.”

He also used the forum to laud the Nigerian armed forces for
recent successes in the fight against insurgency and criminality, describing
their momentum as a “springboard for national development and stability”.

The president noted that military victories alone cannot
guarantee lasting peace without addressing poverty, inequality, and exclusion.

“Nigeria’s brave armed forces can win any number of battles,
but we do justice to their heroism only when we, as government, are courageous
in tackling not just terror but also the underlying causes,” he said.

“We have learned that our brave armed forces can win many
battles. But we can do justice to their heroism and sacrifice only when we, as
governments, display the courage to be tough, not only on terror, but on the
causes of terror.”

Tinubu called for new approaches to peace-building in
Africa, pointing to peace agreements recently brokered in the Congo as examples
of how mediation linked with economic investment can deliver results.

“In the past, competition for resources has weakened states
and triggered conflict. Now, we see mediators directly linking outcomes to
investment in Congo,” he said.

“It is working and underlines the need for fresh thinking in
everything we do to deliver peace and stability.”

He also appealed for market-driven partnerships across
borders, urging countries to move beyond “hackneyed appeals for aid and
handouts”.

At the conference’s opening, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru
Ishiba highlighted his country’s commitment to Africa’s growth, announcing a
new collaborative framework with the African Development Bank (AfDB) that will
channel up to $5.5 billion in financing to the continent through Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) private sector investment.

“Japan is providing various cooperation and support for
Africa. But first of all, Japan needs to know more about Africa,” he said.

So, in creating solutions together, this co-creation at
TICAD 9, we focus on three important areas: private sector-led sustainable
growth, youth and women, and regional integration and connectivity within and
beyond Africa.”

The prime minister underscored the importance of youth
empowerment and the positives of Africa’s youthful population.

“In 75 years from now, the population of Japan would have
been halved. In the local communities, the population continues to decline;
this is one big challenge Japan is facing,” he said.

“All agricultural land is being reduced, another major
challenge for Japan.

“There is another potential in Africa; there is so much
growing young population in Africa, but for the power of young people in Africa
to flourish, you need to create a manufacturing industry and create employment,
and that, I believe, is very important.”