Nigeria, 1998

I bring greetings, Sir, from the

Government and the people of Nigeria, on whose behalf I

am honoured and privileged to address this fifty-third

session of the General Assembly, which is taking place

under your presidency. Your election to the presidency is

an expression of the confidence which Member States

repose in you and a measure of our faith in your capacity

to bring to bear on the work of the Assembly your wisdom,

competence and diplomatic skills. I congratulate you most

warmly on your election and also wish you a very

successful tenure.

My delegation would also like to pay tribute to your

predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko of Ukraine, for the

excellent manner in which he conducted the affairs of the

fifty-second session.

We also take this opportunity to express our

immense satisfaction with the way Secretary-General Kofi

Annan has steered the affairs of our Organization. We

wish to assure him of our fullest support and cooperation

as he leads our Organization into the twenty-first century.

The United Nations represents the will of all

mankind to collectively seek solutions to the common

problems facing our world. It demonstrates the ingenuity

of the human spirit to assemble the diverse peoples of the

world in a collaborative effort to attain the goals of

international peace and security, promotion of socio-

economic development, respect for human rights, good

governance and rule of law. Our active participation in

the affairs of this Organization since independence in

1960 is indicative of our belief in its continued relevance

as a unique institution where all nations — big and small,

rich and poor, developed and developing — meet on the

basis of equality and mutual respect to harmonize their

interests and policies for the common good.

It is for this reason that we have continued to

demonstrate our commitment to work in collaboration

with Member States for the strengthening and

revitalization of the United Nations and its agencies. We

therefore believe strongly that the issue of reform and

democratization of the United Nations must be brought to

the front burner. Reform is a continuing process and is

consistent with the rapid changes taking place in our

world. Our Organization will become irrelevant if it fails

to adapt its structures and management style to present-

day realities. In this regard, my delegation wishes to

commend Mr. Kofi Annan, our Secretary-General, for his

dedication and steadfast commitment to the cause of

reform, and the generally positive attitude of Member

States to the critical issues of reform and democratization

of the United Nations.

However, we must admit that substantive progress

has been very slow because of the narrow positions which

some delegations and regional groupings have continued

to take on the fundamental issues of reform and

democratization of the United Nations. We therefore urge

all Member States to demonstrate urgent political will in

this task of renewing the Organization for the next

millennium by working out mutually acceptable

compromises that will move the reform process forward.

In doing this, we shall be able to build an Organization

with the capacity and the potential to make our world

safer and more prosperous.

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With regard to the particular issue of the reform and

democratization of the Security Council — a subject to

which my country, being one of the original sponsors of the

relevant resolution, attaches great importance — I am

disheartened to note that no tangible substantive progress

has been made five years after the creation of the Open-

ended Working Group on the subject. We note here again

that mistrust and suspicion among States thwarted any

visible movement towards a successful outcome. Yet the

status quo is not in the best interest of the general

membership of the United Nations. Surely, the Council

needs to be restructured, its membership expanded in both

the permanent and non-permanent categories and its

working methods, decision-making methods and decision-

making processes improved. This is the path towards the

democratization of the Council, which will thereby enhance

the legitimacy and effectiveness of its decisions on critical

issues of global peace and security.

My delegation is also of the strong view that the

reform of the Security Council must also touch on the

proper relationship between the Council and the General

Assembly. The Charter of the United Nations assigns to the

Security Council primary, but not exclusive, responsibility

for the maintenance of international peace and security;

hence, there is also a role here for the General Assembly.

Unfortunately, however, the voice of the General Assembly,

which is the most democratic organ of the United Nations,

is often drowned out by that of the Security Council on

issues of global peace and security.

On the specific issues of the composition and size of

the Council, my delegation continues to assert that the

current anomaly of African non-representation in the

permanent membership category must be corrected as a

matter of urgency, as our continent, with its 53 Member

States, collectively constitutes almost one third of the entire

membership of the United Nations. In this context, the

decision of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to

seek two permanent seats for Africa in a reformed and

expanded Council can simply not be ignored. The demand

is legitimate, credible and made with a full sense of

responsibility and relevance in the international system. It

deserves the full support of all Member States.

It is our deep conviction that a world without the

United Nations would be inconceivable, especially in the

wake of renewed conflicts in several parts of the globe. In

this regard, it is a matter of concern that Africa accounts

for a disproportionate share of global conflicts, with their

implications for human suffering and deprivation. The scale

of human tragedies arising from conflicts within and among

African States is alarming. We are pleased to note that

the Security Council is currently giving special

consideration to the causes of conflict in our continent,

with a view to identifying how the international

community could work in partnership with us to resolve

them. This initiative to focus attention on the need for a

renewed and concerted international effort to promote

peace and stability in our continent is clearly

unprecedented and deserves our commendation.

Nigeria?s role in the furtherance of the objectives of

the United Nations, especially in the field of peacekeeping

and peace-building, is well known. We have made great

efforts in the promotion of peaceful resolution of conflicts

in parts of Africa where innocent lives and property have

been dangerously at risk. Nigeria has joined hands with

like-minded States to restore law and order. This was the

case in Liberia and, most recently, in Sierra Leone, where

President Tejan Kabbah was restored to his position as

the democratically elected President in March this year.

This was the first time in the recent history of Africa

that a democratically elected regime overthrown by a

military coup was restored as a result of a collective

action in a subregion. As the current Chairman of the

Economic Community of West African States

(ECOWAS), Nigeria is proud to have provided the

leadership within the ECOWAS Monitoring Group

(ECOMOG) for the collective subregional efforts which

resulted in that epoch-making event.

I should like to take this opportunity to express our

deep gratitude to the international community for its

overwhelming support during the crisis, which helped, in

no small measure, to demoralize the rebel forces and

speed up the restoration of democracy and the rule of law

in Sierra Leone. The war in Sierra Leone is over; the

same can be said of Liberia, but the threat remains. We

therefore urge the international community and

international humanitarian organizations to take an active

interest in rehabilitation efforts in the two countries. A lot

remains to be done there.

Currently our subregional grouping, through its

Committee of Seven, is actively involved in restoring

peace in Guinea-Bissau, where a rebel group took up

arms against the elected Government. It joined efforts

with like-minded groups and a result a ceasefire was

agreed upon a few weeks ago. We are optimistic that this

agreement will hold.

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We have also helped to create within the Organization

of African Unity a continent-wide Mechanism for Conflict

Prevention, Management and Resolution. This facility

enjoys wide support. However, it has been unable to live up

to the lofty ideals for which it was set up, owing largely to

inadequate resources in terms of military hardware and

funding. We invite the international community and other

interested bodies to support the cause of peace and security

in Africa through the OAU regional and subregional

instruments for conflict prevention, management and

resolution.

Nigeria is disturbed by the escalation of terrorist

activities in many parts of the world. The recent tragic

bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, where some 260

innocent lives were lost, have brought home graphically to

us all the fact that no country or society is immune from

the activities of terrorists. We condemn these bombings.

Terrorism is one of the most heinous crimes against

humanity. It constitutes a serious threat to international

peace and security. We must enhance international

cooperation to combat and eliminate it in all its

manifestations. We must reflect our common concern for

this problem through support for an international convention

on terrorism.

My Administration came to the helm in Nigeria last

June and began its short tenure with a few clear-cut

objectives and policy thrusts. The most important is the

design and implementation of a transparent, free and all-

inclusive programme of transition to civil rule within the

shortest time-frame. This decision was welcomed by the

political class.

Our goal is to return our country to a democratically

elected civilian government on 29 May 1999. To this end,

we inaugurated the Independent National Electoral

Commission (INEC) on 11 August 1998, with full powers

to organize and manage the various stages of the electoral

process without pressure or interference from any external

body or authority. There are no restrictions to the formation

of political parties, and several political parties are already

seeking registration. The party registration guidelines just

issued by INEC emphasize the role of the electorate as the

ultimate determinant of the existence and success of

political parties. This is democracy par excellence and

confirms the confidence of Nigerians in INEC.

Furthermore, the Independent National Electoral

Commission has published the timetable for the various

elections in the Transition Programme, beginning with the

local government elections in December 1998 and

culminating in the presidential elections scheduled for 27

February 1999. We are committed to sustaining the

independence, integrity and transparency of INEC. Every

stage of the elections may be freely observed by

international monitors from the United Nations, the

Commonwealth and other interested bodies. These

measures will ensure the credibility and integrity of the

whole electoral process. In this regard, we note with

satisfaction that both the United Nations and the

Commonwealth have already dispatched assessment teams

to Nigeria to meet with INEC officials with a view to

reaching agreement on the modalities and the substance

of cooperation between the Commission and the two

organizations.

The draft constitution presented by the National

Constitutional Conference in 1995 has now been

published and will be ready for wide circulation in due

course. All comments and views arising from the public

will be duly presented for consideration prior to

promulgation.

I am aware that on the question of human rights

observance, Nigeria has recently been the subject of

international attention. It is the objective of my

administration, with the support and understanding of the

international community, to move Nigeria in the direction

of fullest respect for fundamental human rights, good

governance, accountability and rule of law. This

commitment to human rights has been amply

demonstrated by the release of political detainees, the

granting of pardons to some convicted persons and the

withdrawal of charges against others. The general level of

individual freedom, in particular freedom of expression

and association, has greatly improved. The cases of

people who are being detained and have not been

arraigned before the courts and of a certain class of

persons already convicted for offences are being

examined, and appropriate decisions will be taken.

Already, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of

the Federation, in conjunction with the Minister of

Internal Affairs and the National Commission on Human

Rights of Nigeria, have zoned the country for the purpose

of accelerating the decongestion of prisons.

We wish to reiterate our call on those Nigerians who

are currently in self-imposed exile to return and

participate in the political and economic development of

our country. With our quest to improve our socio-

economic infrastructure and climate for governance, we

will conduct a census of Nigerian professionals and those

9

with special talents currently excelling worldwide with a

view to harnessing all of the country?s human resources.

I have also visited all our military formations to

reconfirm the commitment of the armed forces and police

to the democratization programme. The officers and men of

the Nigerian armed forces and police, like the majority of

our people, yearn for democracy in a united and peaceful

country. They are overwhelmingly in support of our

democratization programme.

I stand before this body as the leader of a country

which is now fully engaged in a genuine and irreversible

process of transition to democracy. Therefore, having

honoured our commitment to the restoration of the

fundamental human rights and freedoms of our people and

advanced the prospects of democratization in Nigeria, we

now call on the Western countries to lift the sanctions

which some of them have imposed on our country. Today,

perhaps more than ever before, we require the support and

understanding of all the friends of Nigeria and the

international community as a whole to help us in the

implementation of our programmes and policies aimed at

uplifting the living standards of our people.

In conclusion, a silent but peaceful revolution is taking

place in Nigeria. Our people are determined to ensure that

sustainable democratic governance is established in the

country. Nigeria is clearly at the threshold of a new

beginning in its domestic political and socio-economic

structure and its foreign relations agenda. This is the time,

therefore, for the international community to give the

necessary encouragement and support for our endeavours.