Vice President Kashim Shettima says Nigeria will stand for equity, justice and fairness in supporting candidates seeking the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations.
According to a statement by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha on Monday, Shettima stated this during a meeting with Costa Rican candidate for the position, Rebeca Grynspan, shortly before his return to Nigeria from New York, United States.
The Vice President said Nigeria would also support a candidate who believes in Africa’s aspirations in global affairs, particularly its quest for representation in key decision-making bodies and the promotion of multilateralism.
He said he would recommend Grynspan’s candidature based on Nigeria’s relationship with Latin America, gender inclusion and other considerations.
“Thank you for seeking Nigeria’s perspective for your candidature of the United Nations Secretary-General. Nigeria and Costa Rica share a common historical background connecting both countries and their regions.
“We also have a cordial relationship with Latin America, and we do not wish to jeopardize it. Beyond our historical ties and relations rest our interest in conflict prevention, multilateralism, and the peace of our nations,” the VP noted.
Shettima also emphasised the need to reform the global governance architecture, saying it has changed between 1945 and 2026 but has yet to reflect the integration of Africa, with its population estimated at over 1.3 billion people.
Grynspan, who met with Shettima to seek Nigeria’s support for her candidature, said she was eager to lead the UN in implementing reforms and changes being advocated by many countries, particularly those in the Global South.
“coming from the global south, I represent the interest and demands of the region. I also have a soft spot for Africa. I know the continent and its aspirations,” the Costa Rican candidate stated.
She said her candidature would promote an agenda that prioritises peace, assuring that Africa’s ambition of becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council would receive urgent attention and be actualised.
Nigeria, Netherlands To Deepen Financial Inclusion
Meanwhile, Nigeria and the Netherlands have agreed to deepen collaboration on financial inclusion across different levels of Nigerian society.
Under the arrangement, the Netherlands will leverage its expertise and experience in financial health to support financial inclusion programmes being implemented by Nigeria.
The agreement was reached during a bilateral meeting between Shettima and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands in New York.
Shettima welcomed the Netherlands’ offer of support, particularly in improving financial inclusion for women and vulnerable persons.
He said the Netherlands’ focus on financial health and inclusion was timely, noting that the policy has a direct link to education, security and poverty reduction.
The Vice President listed the conditional cash transfer initiative and programmes in the agricultural sector among the measures being implemented by the government to boost financial inclusion, adding that the results were already yielding fruits across different sectors.
He also disclosed that government policies have positioned some of Africa’s top fintech companies to play critical roles in Nigeria’s efforts to achieve financial inclusion for excluded populations.
While explaining the reforms undertaken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, Shettima said the measures were inevitable given the state of the economy when the administration assumed office in 2023.
For her part, Queen Máxima, who also serves as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health, acknowledged the strong growth recorded by the Nigerian economy under the current administration.
She also acknowledged efforts by the administration to boost financial inclusion and pledged the support of the Netherlands in improving financial health for Nigerians through the sharing of experience and expertise in insurance, credit guarantees and data generation, among others.
The Queen said the financial health programme advocated by her government was aimed at increasing citizens’ resilience, protecting their investments and boosting insurance schemes.
She also emphasised the need for private-sector stakeholders to regard the financial health of their customers as a critical determinant of their companies’ future and progress.
On measures taken by the Tinubu administration to improve the fiscal space, the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, had earlier said that, in addition to existing policies on insurance and pensions, the recent announcement by the Central Bank of Nigeria would boost access to and reduce the cost of credit in Nigeria.
He added that financial inclusion is being vigorously pursued by the Tinubu administration to help poor Nigerians succeed and live better lives.
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