SAN FRANCISCO, December 14, (THEWILL) – Nigeria has called for an immediate restructuring and expansion of the United Nation (UN) Security Council to correct the injustices meted out against Africa in the composition of the Council.

This was delivered by Babatunde Nurudeen, Nigeria’s permanent representative to ECOWAS, at the UN General Assembly debate on ‘Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council’.

Nurudeen regretted that 72 years after the formation of the UN Security Council, Africa continued to be marginalised in representation on the prestigious body in spite of its ability and capacity.

“Nigeria and other emerging nations continue to demonstrate the capacity to add value to the work, of all the organs of the United Nations, including the security council,” he said.

“For that reason, we must now commit ourselves to accelerating the long-overdue reforms of the security council. This will no doubt make the council more equitable, more inclusive and more effective.

“Nigeria believes that a reformed security council with expanded permanent membership would benefit from the unique experiences and capacities that regional representatives could bring to bear on its work.

“Nigeria has always expressed its support for the advancement of the intergovernmental negotiations process in an open, inclusive and transparent manner.

“African states have offered a coherent, practical and persuasive blueprint for the council’s reform.

“We have come up with a common position, which asserts the right of our continent that has for so long been marginalised, and we recognise the legitimate aspirations of other regions to be fully represented in the council.”

The 15-member body UN Security Council is UN’s most powerful principal organ charged with the maintenance of international peace and security with Russia, UK, France, China, and US as the body’s only five permanent members that can veto any substantive security council resolution.