Posted by Source: Xinhua on
Nigeria's chances of clinching a UN Security Council seat are "getting brighter every day," Nigeria's Foreign Minister Olu Adeniji said here Wednesday.
Nigeria's chances of clinching a UN Security Council seat are "getting brighter every day," Nigeria's Foreign Minister Olu Adeniji said here Wednesday.
Adeniji told newsmen in the capital Abuja that other African nations clamoring for a seat acknowledge the fact that Nigeria was "eminently qualified."
According to him, the 29-man enlightenment committee set up by the federal government on the country's bid had "gone very far" in sensitizing Nigerians and other African countries on the issue. " Nigerians and those countries are now better informed as to why we deserve the seat," the minister said.
He expressed confidence that the country would garner the needed support for the seat following its promise to pursue the interest of the black race.
"One in every five black people is a Nigerian, while one in every four Africans is a Nigerian. So you see why Nigeria should be the right candidate for the seat," he said.
Adeniji also recounted Nigeria's contributions to world peace, saying that it towered above all contenders in that area. Also working in the country's favor, he said, is its "effective and exemplary leadership" in the west African subregion.
"Besides, President Olusegun Obasanjo is the current chairman of the African Union and has performed creditably," he declared. Other African nations in the race for the two slots meant for the continent as part of the UN reforms are Egypt, South Africa, Libya, Botswana and Ghana.
The reforms initiated by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan are aimed at opening up the world body for greater participation by all nations.