New Telegraph

Nigeria deserves Permanent Seat in UN Security Council, says Gambari

The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, has said that Nigeria deserved a Permanent Seat in the United Nations Security Council. Gambari, who noted that Nigeria was projected to be the third most populated nation in the world after India and China by 2050, said this at the weekend while addressing members of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI) on a learning visit to the State House.

According to a release by Patience Tilley-Gyado, Assistant Director, Information in the State House, Gambari said Nigeria could not be ignored in international affairs, considering its contributions to international peacekeeping and economic potential. He also declared that Buhari would be remembered for leaving a legacy of free and fair elections as well as massive investments in infrastructure across the country adding that he had laid a solid foundation for youth empowerment.

On Nigeria’s quest for the expansion of the 15-member Security Council, Gambari, who has served as Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Permanent Representative to the UN in New York and first Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to UN Secretary-General on Africa (1999-2005), told the young people on excursion to the State House: “I think you are fortunate to be born a Nigerian. By the year 2050, according to UN statistics, Nigeria will be the third most populous country in the world after India and China.

”A country that is the third most populated in the world must remain united, strong and prosperous and cannot be ignored in international affairs. ”If you are the third most populous country in the world then the campaign for a Permanent Seat in the United National Security Council is one that we will find enormous support because you cannot ignore its people and potentials.”

Speaking on Buhari’s legacy, particularly his respect for the constitutional term limit, Gambari said: ”Mr. President will be remembered for his commitment to free and fair elections in this country.

He has said it many times that Nigerians must be respected  their votes must count and he is committed to leaving by the time the administration comes to an end on May 29, 2023.” The Chief of Staff added that Buhari has led by example on probity and accountability in governance, stressing that the nation will also remember him for that.

”When people talk about the legacy President Buhari is leaving behind, it is important to mention the 2nd Niger Bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Abuja-Kano Expressway, the network of roads and railways across the country, the ports and the power sector. ”It is important to emphasize power because without it and infrastructure the full stature of a nation cannot be realised.”

 

Gambari commended the House of Representatives Speaker and Founder of LMI, Femi Gbajabiamila, for making an impact in the lives of young people through training and mentoring the next generation of legislators and ethical public sector leaders.

He urged the LMI fellows to maintain close contact with each other, and remain focused and united in order to overcome the challenges facing the nation

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