By Samuel Akpan
Nigeria will back a United Nations Secretary-General only if the candidate stands for equity, justice and Africa’s fair place in global power, Vice President Kashim Shettima said in New York before heading home.
Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, in a statement on Monday, said Shettima met Costa Rican diplomat Rebeca Grynspan, who is seeking the UN’s top job.
He said Abuja would favour anyone committed to multilateralism and to giving Africa seats in the world’s key decision-making bodies.
He indicated he would recommend Grynspan, the reasons, he said, include Nigeria’s historic links with Costa Rica, warm ties with Latin America and the importance of gender inclusion.
“Thank you for seeking Nigeria’s view on your candidacy,” Shettima told her, Nigeria and Costa Rica share a common historical thread that joins both countries and their regions.”
He added that Abuja values its cordial relations with Latin America and will not put them at risk, shared interests, he said, also include conflict prevention, multilateralism and peace.
The Vice President pressed for reform of global governance, the system has shifted since 1945, he argued, yet still fails to reflect Africa’s integration and its population of more than 1.3 billion people.
Grynspan said she wants to lead the UN in delivering the reforms most countries, especially in the Global South, now demand.
Coming from that region, she said she speaks for its interests and has a “soft spot” for Africa.
She promised an agenda that puts peace first, Africa’s push for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, she added, would receive urgent attention and be realised.
In a separate New York meeting, Shettima and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands agreed to deepen cooperation on financial inclusion across Nigerian society.
The Netherlands will apply its expertise in financial health to back programmes already running in Nigeria, the Queen also serves as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health.
Shettima welcomed the offer, especially help aimed at women and vulnerable groups, he called the Dutch focus timely, linking financial health to education, security and poverty reduction.
He cited the conditional cash transfer scheme and agricultural programmes as examples already producing results, government policy, he said, has also placed some of Africa’s leading fintech firms at the centre of the inclusion drive.
Defending President Bola Tinubu’s reforms, Shettima said they were unavoidable given the state of the economy when the administration took office in 2023.
Queen Maxima commended Nigeria’s strong growth under the current government and its work on inclusion, she pledged Dutch support through experience in insurance, credit guarantees and data generation.
The financial health agenda, she said, aims to raise citizens’ resilience, protect their investments and expand insurance. Private firms, she added, should treat customers’ financial health as vital to their own future.
Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele said existing insurance and pension policies, including a recent Central Bank of Nigeria announcement, would improve access to credit and lower its cost.
The Tinubu government, he added, is pushing inclusion so that poor Nigerians can succeed and live better lives.