New york: President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday advocated for the reform of the United Nations policies to conform with new global realities. Tinubu, represented by the Vice-President Kashim Shettima, made the call in his address to the UN General Assembly’s 80th session in New York. He warned that the global body must embrace sweeping restructurings to avoid growing irrelevance as world events increasingly bypass its influence.

According to News Agency of Nigeria, the President criticised the organisation’s record, pointing to the ongoing human suffering in the Middle East and other regions as ‘stains on our collective humanity.’ He cautioned that the UN’s credibility was being undermined by the gulf between its words and deeds while positioning Nigeria’s economic transformation as a model for developing nations.

Tinubu highlighted the slow pace of progress on issues long debated at the UN General Assembly, stating that it has led some to look away from the multilateral model. He noted a shift where key events were occurring outside the UN’s main hall, and the most sought-after voices were no longer heads of state.

Tinubu also addressed the international community’s sluggish progress on critical issues, such as nuclear disarmament and Security Council reform. He underscored these issues as stains on collective humanity and called for recognition of the truth behind them.

The President further positioned Africa’s natural resources as central to future global stability. He emphasised the necessity for Africa to gain control over its strategic minerals, insisting that countries producing these minerals must benefit fairly through investment, partnership, local processing, and job creation.

He remarked on the negative impacts of exporting raw materials without local processing, noting that it fosters tension, inequality, and instability.