Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Africa’s continued exclusion from permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council undermines the fairness and legitimacy of the global governance system.

Shettima stated this during a meeting with the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The Vice President reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for urgent reforms of the United Nations, stressing that the country would remain a dependable partner in efforts to rebuild trust among nations, defend international law and tackle hunger, violence and exclusion.

He commended UN Secretary-General António Guterres for his consistent support for a more representative Security Council, particularly his declaration that a 21st-century council without permanent African representation is “unjust and indefensible.”

“A continent cannot be summoned to bear the burdens of the international order and then denied an equal hand in directing it,” Shettima said.

He maintained that Nigeria would continue to support reforms that make international institutions more representative, responsive and credible.

According to him, global decisions must better reflect contemporary geopolitical and demographic realities.

Shettima also praised Guterres for defending international law and human dignity amid widening global conflicts and rising geopolitical tensions.

“You have remained a voice of reason as individual states drift from the obligations they assumed under the United Nations Charter and the rules of international law,” he said.

“You have insisted that sovereignty carries duties, that might confers no licence to injure, and that the worth of a human life cannot vary with the flag above it.”

The Vice President warned that diplomacy must not lose sight of the human consequences of war and instability, stressing that the suffering of civilians should remain central to international discussions.

“The mother searching for her child, the family driven from home and the hungry child awaiting food must never become abstractions in the language of states,” he said.

Shettima also commended Mohammed for her contributions to multilateral diplomacy and sustainable development, describing her service at the UN as a source of pride to Nigeria.

He assured the organisation that Nigeria would remain committed to efforts aimed at restoring trust among nations and protecting the dignity of people affected by hunger, violence and exclusion.

“Nigeria will remain a willing ally in the work of restoring trust among nations and dignity to lives diminished by hunger, violence and exclusion. We owe our children a world in which conscience has authority and the law has meaning,” he said.

Shettima added that the credibility of the international system would ultimately depend on its ability to respond fairly to human suffering and provide all regions with a meaningful voice in global decision-making.

“Civilisation endures only when the suffering of a stranger becomes a claim on our conscience,” he said.

Earlier, Mohammed expressed gratitude to Nigeria and the administration of President Bola Tinubu for their support for the United Nations and her office as the organisation’s deputy secretary-general.

She described the visit by the Nigerian delegation as a “deep honour,” saying she was grateful to Tinubu and Shettima for embracing her “not just as the DSG but as a daughter of the soil.”

She added that Tinubu had been “an incredible support” to her and had also supported the UN as an institution.

Shettima was accompanied by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal.

Others on the delegation included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jimoh Ibrahim; and other senior government officials.