UNGA 79: Tinubu seeks debt forgiveness for Nigeria

President Bola Tinubu has called on world leaders to prioritise debt forgiveness for Nigeria and other developing countries from creditors and multilateral financial institutions.

The President also asked the United Nations to commit to multilateralism by deepening relations among member states, in line with the principles of inclusivity, equality and cooperation.

Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of the Economic Community of West African States, made the call while addressing world leaders during the General Debate of the ongoing 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, at the UN headquarters in New York, United States.

Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the high-level annual global event, the President said countries of the global South would not make meaningful economic progress without special concessions and a review of their current debt burden.

In a statement made available to the press by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, the Nigerian leader drew the UN’s attention to the global debt burden undermining the ability of countries and governments to meet the needs of their citizens, trade barriers and protectionist policies destroying the hopes for nations, and the uncontrollable competition discouraging motivation and hampering global investments.

According to the Debt Management Office in its Q1 2024 report, Nigeria’s domestic and external debts stood at N121.67tn ($91.46bn).

Nigerian states experienced a 122 per cent increase in external debt servicing in the first six months of 2024, reaching N139.92bn compared to N63.06bn in 2023.

The surge reflected heightened borrowing costs amid currency depreciation, significantly impacting subnational expenditure and fiscal health.

Kaduna and Lagos states pay the highest external debt servicing costs, as some states seek relief from rising debt repayment costs.

Speaking on the debt burden, Tinubu said, “Similarly, we must ensure that any reform of the international financial system includes comprehensive debt relief measures, to enable sustainable financing for development.

“Countries of the global South cannot make meaningful economic progress without special concessions and a review of their current debt burden,” he stated.

Tinubu called for the recovery of proceeds of corruption and illicit financial flows, stating that the return of such funds to countries of origin “is a fundamental principle of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

“Therefore, the international community must promote practical measures to strengthen international cooperation to recover and return stolen assets and to eradicate safe havens that facilitate illicit flows of funds from developing countries to the developed economies.”

The President decried the steep descent to singularity and nationalism which, according to him, were undermining the quest for peaceful and collective resolution of global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, poverty, food crises, hyper-inflation, nuclear proliferation and grinding debt burden, among others.

The Nigerian leader reminded the world leaders that the United Nations stood for multilateralism which represented inclusiveness, anchored on the tripod of peace, sustainable development and human rights.

He expressed worry about the main objectives of the UN and how it could sustain the global body’s relevance and resilience, noting that the pillars of the organisation are at risk of being broken against the principles of inclusivity, equality and cooperation.

“Today, these pillars of our organisation are threatened. They risk being broken by the relentless pursuit of individual national priorities rather than the collective needs of the nations that are assembled here today.

“While commitment to multilateralism offers us the surest guarantee of global action to address the existential challenges we face, singularity and nationalism are undermining the aspirations towards the peaceful and collective resolution of such challenges.

“From last year’s summit, and indeed from previous years, we have carried over the numerous challenges of terrorism, armed conflict, inequality, poverty, racial discrimination, human rights abuses, food crises, hunger, irregular migration, piracy, global pandemics, hyper-inflation, nuclear proliferation, grinding debt burden, climate change, and a host of other vexations.

“The continued manifestation of these challenges testifies to our failings rather than to any lofty achievements on our part. Billions of dollars are being committed to the prosecution of wars and the fanning of the embers of conflict,” he said.

Tinubu reaffirmed what he termed “Nigeria’s steadfast commitment to the deepening of multilateralism,” just as it did 65 years ago when it joined the United Nations as the 99th member-state.

“We remain committed to that desire to remain friendly with all nations and participate actively in the works of the United Nations, as expressed by our founding Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa,” he said.

Speaking on recent developments in Africa, Tinubu lamented what he described as the return of unconstitutional changes of government and forceful military coups in some African countries.

He said these coups attested to how fragile democracy could become when it was not supported by economic development and sustained peace and security.

This, he said, should be of utmost concern in deliberations at the high-level segments of the 79th Session of the General Assembly, as the forceful changes of government had led to “the impatience in cities and villages at the sometimes slow and grinding turn of the wheel of democracy.

“Our people need employment. They need decent livelihoods. They desire good and affordable education and healthcare for their children and families. They need to live in healthy, safe and secure environments. They need hope and they need opportunity,” he added.

The President also called for reforms in the international financial architecture and a transparent multilateral trading system.

He expressed hope that the adoption of the “Pact for the Future” would change the narrative, reposition economies, and lead to concrete measures that address the challenges faced by developing and least-developed countries.

“It is for this and other reasons that we reiterate the call by countries, especially of the global South, for reform of the international financial architecture and promotion of a rules-based, non-discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, equitable and transparent multilateral trading system,” he noted.

On insecurity, Tinubu noted that the menace was plunging citizens into untold hardship and misery that, in turn, affected the people’s confidence in democracy, stressing that bringing back confidence in democratic rule and constitutional order was the duty of the international community.

“We cannot build durable societies with the threat of terrorism, banditry and insurgency growing in our countries and regions. Indeed, violent extremism remains an existential threat to both national and international peace, security and development. We are making concerted efforts to contain and roll back this threat,” he said.

Tinubu, however, assured the world leaders that the “High-Level African Counter-Terrorism Meeting” hosted by Nigeria in April 2024 and its outcome – The Abuja Declaration – promised to provide solutions to the challenges presented by terrorists and insurgents.

He warned against the dangers of climate change, describing it as a driver of insecurity that posed a veritable challenge to sustainable development.

The President recalled the devastating flood in Nigeria which submerged large areas of the country, “including one of our largest cities, Maiduguri, in the North-East.”

The Nigerian leader implored the international community to stick to the implementation of the commitments made at the various Conference of the Parties meetings, pointing out that failure to do so would amount to postponing the inevitable, as no country was immune to the effects of climate change.

The President, who observed that conflict prevention was the main reason the UN was established, regretted that the task of preventing these conflicts had become arduous following their normalization, “when even the condemnation of violence and civilian casualties, and calls for a ceasefire, are somehow regarded as controversial.”

He listed some of the root causes of conflicts, including poverty, hunger, ignorance, inequality and exclusion, as well as other forms of injustice, just as he cited the conflict in Sudan and the war in Gaza and other Palestinian territories.

“What this tells us is that the international community has failed to live up to the spirit and aspirations of the United Nations to rid the world of inequality, violence and domination of one people by another. Justice is antithetical to revenge,” he stated.

The President further insisted on bold reforms in the UN Security Council to give Nigeria and other African countries permanent seats at the council.

He said it had since become imperative for the UN to strengthen its relevance and credibility in a rapidly changing world.

The Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. Its 15 permanent members are charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and approving changes to the UN Charter.

The UNSC also establishes peacekeeping operations, enacts international sanctions and authorises military operations.

Tinubu said, “Some permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have offered encouraging, if tentative, indications of support on the issue of reform of the Council. We welcome the change in tone and urge an acceleration in momentum to the process.

“The Security Council should be expanded, in the permanent and non-permanent member categories, to reflect the diversity and plurality of the world. We fully support the efforts of Secretary-General Guterres in this regard.

“Africa must be accorded the respect that it deserves in the Security Council. Our Continent deserves a place in the permanent members category of the Security Council, with the same rights and responsibilities as other Permanent Members.”