Over 8 Million Nigerians Already Receiving Cash Support – FG Reaffirms During Shettima’s UN Meeting

Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on the United Nations (UN) to support Nigeria’s quest for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Shettima made the appeal during a meeting with UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, at the UN headquarters in New York, United States.

“We are aspiring to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council,” the Vice President said, urging the global body to back Nigeria in achieving this goal.

According to a statement from the Nigerian delegation, discussions also centered on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), climate change, democracy, and regional security cooperation.

Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, noted the UN’s strong presence in Nigeria, with multiple agencies operating in the country. He disclosed that Guterres welcomed Shettima’s push for Nigeria’s Security Council membership.

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, revealed that the Secretary-General commended Nigeria’s recent launch of its first multilingual and multimodal large language model—the first of its kind on the African continent supported by a government. Guterres, he added, encouraged Nigeria to help other African countries leverage artificial intelligence for development.

Highlighting Nigeria’s humanitarian efforts, Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, told the UN that the country’s national social register contains nearly 18.9 million households, with over 8.1 million Nigerians already benefiting from conditional cash transfers. He also stressed the administration’s commitment to inclusivity, particularly for persons with disabilities.

Earlier, Shettima held bilateral talks with UK Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, where both sides pledged to deepen cooperation in trade, the economy, defence, and migration.

The Vice President also participated in the Global Leadership Council Meeting at UNICEF Headquarters, New York, where he reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to harnessing opportunities in the digital space to empower youths, women, and girls.

The high-level event brought together Heads of State, UN agency chiefs, CEOs, civil society leaders, and young innovators to develop innovative global solutions.