The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution as the most honourable and sustainable route to achieving lasting peace in Palestine.
Speaking on behalf of President Bola Tinubu at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Vice President Kashim Shettima emphasized Nigeria’s stance during the general debate on Wednesday.
According to Tinubu, “we do not believe that the sanctity of human life should be trapped in the corridors of endless debate.”
He declared unequivocally: “a two-state solution remains the most dignified path to lasting peace for the people of Palestine.”
He further noted, “for too long, this community has borne the weight of moral conflict. For too long, we have been caught in the crossfire of violence that offends the conscience of humanity.”
Positioning Nigeria as a neutral advocate for peace, Tinubu stated, “we come not as partisans, but as peacemakers. We come as brothers and sisters of a shared world, a world that must never reduce the right to live into the currency of devious politics.”
Underscoring the humanity of the Palestinian people, the president stressed, “they are not collateral damage in a civilisation searching for order… they are human beings, equal in worth, entitled to the same freedoms and dignities that the rest of us take for granted.”
He called on the global community to choose “civilised values over fear, civilised values over vengeance, civilised values over bloodshed.”
Nigeria, he said, remains committed to building global consensus through lawful, multilateral engagement. “We show the opportunities that peace brings, just as the extremist hopes to drive apart rival communities and different religions,” he said.
According to him, “This is how we deny our enemies the space they crave to fuel tension and despair.”
Tinubu reiterated that this approach represents “the best, perhaps only hope for peace, reconciliation and victory for the civilised values of a shared humanity.”
Touching on Nigeria’s own democratic evolution, Tinubu acknowledged the diverse pathways to democracy, stating, “we are working with the United Nations to strengthen democratic institutions in our region and beyond, through the Regional Partnership for Democracy.”
He also highlighted Nigeria’s economic reforms and security challenges, stressing that development and stability are interlinked. “We in Nigeria are already familiar with such difficult choices: infrastructure renewal or defence platforms? schools or tanks?” he said.
“Our view is that the path to sustainable peace lies in growth and prosperity,” he stated.
The president concluded by noting the bold steps taken by his administration to restructure the economy, including the removal of subsidies and currency controls that “benefited the few at the expense of the many.”
(NAN)
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