President Bola Tinubu has called for total elimination of nuclear weapons all over the world.
Tinubu made the call while delivering Nigeria’s statement at the high-level meeting to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons at the UN headquarters in New York.
Represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, Tinubu said the event reminds the world of shared responsibility and collective resolve to eradicate dangerous weapons.
“Nigeria will continue to do its part to ensure total elimination of nuclear weapons is achieved,” Tinubu said.
According to him, the total elimination of nuclear weapons remains the only absolute guarantee against their use or threat of use.
“The catastrophic humanitarian consequences that could result from either intentional use or unintentional explosion of these dangerous weapons are dire,” he said.
Tinubu urged Nuclear Weapons States to be mindful of the impact of weapons of mass destruction on human health, the environment, and vital economic resources among others.
“We need to see action toward the dismantling of these weapons,” he said.
According to him, the continued existence of nuclear weapons is a huge challenge to international peace and security.
The Nigerian leader reiterated his concern over the resistance and lack of political will by Nuclear-Weapon States to ensure total elimination of their nuclear arsenals.
“We, therefore, urge all the Nuclear Weapons States to implement all agreed measures toward achieving total elimination of nuclear weapons.
“Nigeria also wishes to renew its call on all States to work assiduously toward the actualisation of the goals and objectives of a nuclear weapons-free world.
“We are convinced that the universalisation of the NPT is dependent upon strict compliance with its three pillars,” he said.
The three pillars are disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy
He commended all states that had ratified the TPNW and urged those yet to do so to accede without delay.
“My delegation takes pride in having actively contributed to the negotiation process and in being among the first countries to sign the treaty,” he said.
He said the the treaty represented a significant step toward achieving a world free of nuclear weapons.
“In this regard, my delegation also calls on all Nuclear-Weapon States to cease the testing, development, and modernisation of nuclear weapons, including associated research activities, ” he said.
He said the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons to humanity prompted African countries to adopt the Pelindaba Treaty, declaring Africa as a nuclear-weapons-free zone.
The Pelindaba Treaty prohibits, among other things, stationing of nuclear explosive devices and their testing in the entire space that constitutes the African continent.
Tinubu enjoined all member states from other regions, especially those regions that are not yet free of nuclear weapons to emulate Africa in their respective regions.
“Nigeria underscores the importance of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and, like many other developing countries, has embraced nuclear technology to advance its development goals,” he said.
Tinubu further reminded all states of their obligation to comply fully with existing frameworks in order to uphold global nuclear safety, security, and non-proliferation norms.
According to him, the benefits of nuclear disarmament are enormous and cannot be underestimated.
“Member States must demonstrate sincerity of purpose and commitment to the goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
“While there are no easy solutions, we must remain resolutely focused on getting to a world free of nuclear weapons and be better assured of our survival as human race,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has implored the African Union (AU) to reinvigorate diplomacy as the primary and most effective means of conflict resolution in Africa.
Tinubu made the call during a meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council at the level of Heads of State and Government.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
The Nigerian leader, represented by the Vice-President Kashim Shettima, acknowledged the role played by the AU’s Peace Support Operations (PSOs), a unit designed to maintain, monitor and build peace in Africa.
Tinubu said with the current UN administration and growing interest by traditional partners in conflicts outside Africa, it was becoming increasingly difficult for countries to shoulder the total cost of peace support operations on the continent.
He said: “Our continent must continue to maintain a diplomatic approach in its conflict prevention and resolution endeavours.
” We urge this council to ensure that the concept of future peace operations, particularly the UN mandated ones, make provision for diplomatic and political strategies that would ultimately address the root causes of conflict.
“We also urge the council to ensure that the existing strategies for future AU PSO’s include elements that would ensure that national and local institutions can effectively anticipate and manage shocks and relax multiplies.”
The president said this was the only way the continent’s peace support operations can leave behind resilient and self sustaining peace infrastructure wherever they find themselves.
“We further wish to underscore the current practice of proliferation of numerous peace initiatives on our continent with counter AU’s prevention and resolution processes,” he added.
Tinubu warned against external interference in crisis situation in Africa, including the presence of foreign military forces, mercenaries and defence contractors in some AU states.
He said that meddling in crises on the continent remained contrary to the African Conflict Prevention and Resolution Initiatives.
The president called on the council to consider adopting a communique to address the loopholes in conflict resolution.
The Nigerian leader urged the council to consider the call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of foreign forces from member countries.
He also told the council to ” expeditiously address obstacles to the operationalisation of the African standby force.
Tinubu further called for the adoption of strategy for the deployment of the African standby force in conflict situations on the continent.
He noted that the council would be more successful if it regularly coordinates, consults and strategically engages similar structures or mechanism of regional economic communities.
“It’s our view that conflict prevention and resolution on the continent is a solidarity, and working in silence should be avoided completely.
” The AU has adequate mechanism for prevention of the ever changing conflict and crisis dynamics on our continent.
” What we lack, however, is trust in our processes and institutions as well as consistency in the application of our normative instruments,” he said.
According to him, the current practice where African leaders rely on mechanisms outside the continent for solutions to their security challenges without exhausting internal processes should be
addressed.
Tinubu also urged the council to encourage AU member states to recommit to subjecting themselves to its peace and conflict resolution processes.
He said Nigeria welcomed the prevailing practice of appointing Special Envoys to countries in conflict on the continent.
Tinubu, however, said that there is need to equip members of these AU Ad–Hoc peace initiatives, particularly the Special envoys and high-level representatives, with the required skills.
The skills, he said, would enable them to become effective instrument for the prevention or de-escalation of conflicts in Africa.
” This requires the adoption of criteria that ensures that only well–respected pan– Africanist leaders that are willing to use their influence and connections to compel parties to conflict to sheath their swords, ” he said.
He underscored the importance of adequate funding and provision of strategic logistics as success enablers of Peace Support Operations.
” This is why we support the call for the operationalisation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719 on Somalia.
” This is important given the primary responsibility of the UN Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with relevant provisions of the United Nations Charter,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Parfait Onanga-Anyanga,
Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union, decried the surge in arms conflict and dwindling funding for peace interventions in Africa.
Onanga-Anyanga, who is also the Head of the UN Office to the African Union, urged member countries to establish their own national peace building and conflict prevention mechanism.
“Prevention, indeed, must start at home and must be consistent with the United Nations Charter regional organisations such as the African Union.
” Of course, regional economic commissions and regional mechanisms have a key role to play in this regard,” he said.
