Government
Guterres Urges Nigeria to Lead Africa’s Push for New Global Order
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on Nigeria to spearhead Africa’s quest for a restructured global order, describing the country as uniquely positioned to lead the continent toward greater global influence.
(L-R) Minster of Foreign Affairs, Amb Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Vice President Kashim Shettima, UN Secretary General, Mr Antonio Guterres and UN Deputy Secretary General, Mrs Amina Mohammed during a high-level bilateral meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima on the sidelines of the 39th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Friday, 13-02-2026
Guterres made the remarks on Friday during a high-level bilateral meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima on the sidelines of the African Union’s 39th summit in Addis Ababa.
He praised the economic reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and commended Nigeria’s leadership role in promoting stability across West Africa and the Sahel despite its own security challenges.
According to the UN chief, Nigeria’s large population, democratic continuity, abundant natural and human resources, and longstanding commitment to multilateral diplomacy place it in a strong position to champion Africa’s interests in an evolving global system.
“Given Nigeria’s demographic strength, democratic continuity and deep resource base, the country stands a real chance of leading Africa to becoming the next superpower in the evolving global architecture,” Guterres said.
The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation between Nigeria and the United Nations in areas including economic growth, peace and security, sustainable development, and coordinated humanitarian response across Africa.
Responding, Shettima thanked Guterres for his leadership in advancing global peace, noting that Africa had benefitted significantly from his tenure at the UN, even as the organisation undergoes internal restructuring.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to multilateralism and stronger partnerships with global institutions, while reiterating the country’s longstanding call for comprehensive reform of the UN system to reflect current geopolitical realities. The Vice President stressed that Africa deserves stronger representation in global decision-making structures and maintained that Nigeria should occupy a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Both leaders pledged to deepen collaboration, with Guterres reaffirming the UN’s support for Nigeria’s reform agenda and its expanding role in promoting peace, security, and development across the African continent.
Nigeria has called for a continental transition toward health security sovereignty in Africa, urging nations to reduce dependence on foreign aid and build resilient, self-sufficient health systems across the continent.
Vice President Kashim Shettima made the call on Friday while speaking at a high-level side event titled “Building Africa’s Health Security Sovereignty,” held on the sidelines of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa.
The initiative, a collaboration between Nigeria and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, is aimed at mobilising investments in health workforce development, community health systems and sustainable immunisation programmes.
Representing President Bola Tinubu at the summit, the Vice President said Africa must ensure that the health of its citizens is no longer vulnerable to disruptions in global supply chains or shifting international priorities. He stressed that Nigeria is prepared to work with other African countries to build a continent capable of responding independently to health emergencies.
Reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, Shettima noted that Africa had to wait and negotiate for limited vaccines and oxygen supplies when wealthier nations prioritised their own populations. He warned that endurance alone is not a strategy, insisting that leadership should be measured by deliberate efforts to reduce vulnerability.
He outlined Nigeria’s ongoing reforms in the health sector, including efforts to boost domestic pharmaceutical production, expand health financing and strengthen regulation. He cited programmes such as the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain, which he said secured over $2.2 billion in commitments and aims to revitalise more than 17,000 primary healthcare centres, train 120,000 frontline workers and widen insurance coverage.
According to him, Nigeria is also strengthening epidemic intelligence, expanding laboratory networks and improving emergency coordination through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, while tightening oversight against substandard medicines under the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, commended continental partners for supporting efforts to build resilient health systems, noting that Nigeria is prioritising workforce development and data systems to bridge rural-urban disparities in healthcare access.
Director-General of the Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, highlighted persistent shortages of skilled health workers across Africa and called for coordinated investments to address fragmented funding and fragile community health structures. He praised Nigeria’s leadership in strengthening immunisation and resilience programmes.
Health ministers including Ibrahim Sy of Senegal and Mekdes Daba of Ethiopia expressed support for the initiative, pledging to align national policies with continental efforts to strengthen workforce databases and community-level health systems.
Representatives of organisations such as UNICEF and Gavi also delivered goodwill messages backing the programme.
In a communiqué presented by Prof. Pate at the end of the forum, African ministers of health and finance urged governments to increase sustained investment in human resources for health and community systems, accelerate progress toward the target of two million community health workers by 2030, and prioritise workforce development as a cornerstone of primary healthcare, universal health coverage and pandemic preparedness.
Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council with immediate effect.
In a special government announcement issued on Thursday, the governor directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over the affairs of their respective ministries to the Permanent Secretaries or the most senior officers within their ministries.
The directive takes effect immediately.
Governor Fubara expressed appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council for their service to the state and wished them success in their future endeavours.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the Bank of Industry (BOI) for disbursing a record N636 billion to more than 7,000 businesses in 2025; the highest annual financing in the bank’s history.
According to a State House statement, N202 billion went to agro-allied enterprises, N100 billion to critical infrastructure such as broadband, power and transportation, N79 billion to manufacturing, N77 billion to extractive industries, and N55 billion to services. An additional N73 billion was deployed as managed and matching funds.
Breakdown by business size shows large enterprises received N375 billion, SMEs N178 billion, nano businesses N51 billion, and micro enterprises N32 billion.
Under the Federal Government’s N200 billion MSME intervention programme, BOI reportedly achieved over 95 percent performance as a disbursing institution, while the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme reached 957,400 beneficiaries in 2025.
The bank’s financing activities contributed to the creation and retention of about 1.6 million jobs and supported over 7,000 MSMEs and 570 startups.
Inclusive programmes saw women-owned enterprises access funding under a N10 billion facility, while youth-owned businesses received N12 billion. In rural areas, 880 enterprises accessed N6.5 billion across the 36 states and the FCT.
BOI maintained a non-performing loan ratio below 1.5 percent and strengthened its lending capacity with a €2 billion syndicated facility secured in 2024 and €210 million mobilised in 2025.
President Tinubu described the milestone as evidence that ongoing economic reforms are expanding access to long-term capital and supporting industrial growth.