In last outing, Buhari calls for change at UN, seeks climate justice for Africa

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, demanded what he called “climate justice” for Africa and other developing nations, saying the continent was hardest hit by consequences of the phenomenon, characterised by sustained drought in many countries.

He also said he remained “firmly convinced that the (global) challenges that have come so sharply into focus in recent years and months emphasise the call by Nigeria and many other member-states for reform of the Security Council and other UN agencies.

“We need more effective and representative structures to meet today’s demands that have since outgrown a system designed for the very different world that prevailed at its foundation in 1945. Change is long overdue.”

Buhari spoke when he addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, where he also bid farewell to the world body, saying by this time next year, Nigeria will have a new president representing the country.

He said Africa and other developing nations produce only a small proportion of greenhouse gas emissions, compared to industrial economies, “yet, we are the hardest hit by the consequences of climate change, as we see in the sustained drought in Somalia and floods of unprecedented severity in Pakistan.”

Delivering Nigeria’s statement at the 77th General Assembly, Buhari recalled he would have first addressed them in 1984 as military Head of State but had his first opportunity in 2015, when he became the country’s democratically elected president.

He thanked the world leaders who have cooperated with Nigeria in efforts to tackle various challenges. He also highlighted actions of the country in bringing peace and stability to the West African sub-region.

The President spoke of continuing challenges facing the world, which he said have been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.
He said: “As I approach the end of my second and final four-year term, I am reminded of how much has changed in Nigeria, in Africa, and in the world, and yet, how some challenges remain.

“We are now more severely tested by these enduring and new global challenges, paramount among which are conflicts increasingly being driven by non-state actors, proliferation of small arms and light weapons, terrorism, violent extremism, malignant use of technology, climate change, irregular migration, and disparities in opportunities for improved standards of living.”