Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has said that Nigeria merits a seat on the UN Security Council given its population, robust economy and pivotal role in Africa.
Mr Tuggar highlighted this urgent need to democratize the UN Security Council at a panel discussion during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The panel, themed “Securing an Insecure World,” saw Tuggar share the stage with international leaders including NATO Secretatry Jens Stoltenberg and the Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal Al Saud, among others.
The discussion explored ongoing conflicts, climate crises, fragile global economies and potential security risks posed by new technologies.
Tuggar highlighted the importance of incorporating democratic values, such as the rule of law, into global decision-making bodies. He criticized the current state of the UN Security Council for not fulfilling its intended purpose.
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Tuggar said, “To begin with, the UN Security Council needs to be democratised. Clearly, it is not fit for purpose.
““We should do away with the veto powers on the UN Security Council. Clearly, it is clumsy and not working. Again, when you look at the global security architecture, it is impacted by such undemocratic entities that influence decisions.”
Tuggar complained about the loss of neutral ground for diplomats to engage, which in the past allowed diplomacy to resolve issues, preempt conflicts, and diffuse them. He said, “Unfortunately, we don’t have that anymore.”
“We are increasingly seeing a situation where diplomats and diplomacy are taking the backseat and disagreements are being securitized,” the minister said.
Tuggar expressed concern that security chiefs and defense policymakers are taking the front seat on world security issues.
He concluded with this remark: “Of course, for the guy with the hammer, everything is a nail.”
