UNGA: Military victories alone cannot secure lasting peace — Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has told the United Nations General Assembly that military victories alone cannot secure lasting peace, urging the international community to prioritise diplomacy, reconciliation, inclusive political processes and sustainable development in tackling conflicts.

Tinubu who was represented by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, stated this in his address to the General Debate of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, delivered on his behalf by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Speaking against the backdrop of persistent conflicts across the world, the President said military responses must be complemented by political and developmental measures capable of addressing the conditions that sustain violence.

“We place our faith in diplomacy because military victories alone cannot secure lasting peace,” Tinubu said.

“Dialogue, reconciliation and inclusive political processes must give people a stake in ending violence and preserving the agreements that follow.”

He called on the United Nations to strengthen peacekeeping while giving greater attention to peacebuilding, mediation, institution-building and sustainable development.

“Prevention must command greater resources and political attention,” he said.

Tinubu said the persistence of conflicts around the world had reinforced the need to restore trust in international institutions and return to the founding principles of the UN, including dialogue, mutual respect and collective responsibility.

“Nigeria stands by the Charter and its promise of a world in which diplomacy prevails over coercion, cooperation over isolation and international law over the arbitrary exercise of power,” he said.

The President also called for urgent diplomacy to address conflicts in Sudan and other war-torn countries, stressing that all parties must protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian access.

“Negotiated settlements must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.

“Within and beyond our continent, no claim to security can justify starving children, denying relief to civilians or erasing communities from the land they call home.”

Tinubu warned against the use of propaganda to shield perpetrators of violence from accountability.

“We should all be afraid of a world in which we can no longer tell the victim from the aggressor,” he said.

“When our investment in propaganda shields perpetrators from justice to the point that telling the truth becomes a crime, the promise of this institution stands betrayed.”

The President said Nigeria’s experience in combating Boko Haram, ISWAP and other armed groups had demonstrated that military action alone could not address the roots of insecurity.

“Nigeria’s prolonged struggle against Boko Haram, ISWAP and other armed groups has taught us that military victories require enduring foundations in education, economic opportunity, accountable governance and communities whose rights and dignity are protected,” he said.

“Development cannot take root where violence repeatedly uproots livelihoods, and peace cannot endure where injustice and exclusion replenish the ranks of those who threaten it.”

He therefore called for stronger international cooperation against terrorism, organised crime, cyberattacks and illicit finance, including intelligence sharing, institutional capacity building and measures to disrupt the financing of violence.

“The turmoil in the Sahel illustrates how insecurity in one territory can imperil its neighbours, displace populations and frustrate commerce, regional integration and democratic governance,” Tinubu said.

“As a founding member of ECOWAS, Nigeria upholds regional solidarity and African leadership in resolving these challenges, reinforced by principled international partnerships.”

Beyond security, Tinubu argued that sustainable peace was inseparable from economic development, calling for reforms to the international financial architecture and wider access to concessional financing.

“Many developing countries devote substantial resources to debt servicing at the expense of education, healthcare and infrastructure,” he said.

“Nigeria therefore calls for reform of the international financial architecture, wider access to concessional financing and debt sustainability frameworks that recognise developmental needs.”

He also advocated private capital, blended finance, South-South cooperation and strategic partnerships to support sustainable development, climate adaptation and resilient infrastructure.

On climate change, the President rejected what he described as a false choice between development and climate action.

“We reject the false choice between development and climate action,” he said, stressing that developing countries must be enabled to industrialise, eradicate poverty and expand energy access through low-carbon pathways.

Tinubu said Nigeria remained committed to the Paris Agreement and an equitable energy transition, noting that the country’s Energy Transition Plan targets net-zero emissions by 2060.

He said Nigeria was pursuing renewable energy, clean cooking, gas as a transitional fuel, climate-smart agriculture and nature-based solutions.

“Finance must be governed by equity and shared responsibility rather than charity,” Tinubu said, urging developed countries to translate international climate commitments into “accessible, predictable and adequately funded mechanisms.”

The President also urged the global community to approach artificial intelligence as a tool that could either serve humanity or cause harm depending on how it was deployed.

“We refuse to surrender our technological future to paranoia,” he said.

“An invention can be destructive or beneficial, depending on the purposes it serves and the judgement of those who use it.”

He said Nigeria was investing in digital public infrastructure, broadband connectivity, innovation ecosystems, research institutions and technology entrepreneurship.

“We invite the world to work with our inventive, resourceful and enterprising young people to direct AI towards humanity’s advancement rather than its destruction,” he said.

Tinubu further renewed Nigeria’s call for reform of the UN Security Council, arguing that the current structure did not reflect contemporary global realities.

“The reform of this institution must begin with the reconstitution of the Security Council, for the world of 2026 cannot remain captive to the distribution of power in 1945,” he said.

“Africa cannot continue to fill the Council’s agenda while remaining absent from its permanent membership.”

He demanded, in line with the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, at least two permanent seats for Africa with all the rights and responsibilities of permanent membership, including the veto for as long as it exists, as well as five non-permanent seats.

“The authority to speak for humanity carries an obligation to represent it,” he said.

The President reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to assume greater responsibility for global peace and security, citing its contributions to peace efforts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Mali and The Gambia.

He said Nigeria would continue to advance mediation, democratic governance, counter-terrorism and maritime security through ECOWAS, the African Union and Gulf of Guinea partnerships.

On African economic integration, Tinubu described the African Continental Free Trade Area as “one of the continent’s most transformative opportunities,” saying it could strengthen regional value chains, expand intra-African trade, promote industrialisation and attract investment.

“Africa must move beyond its historical role as an exporter of raw materials towards greater value addition, manufacturing, technological innovation and knowledge-driven growth,” he said.

“Our abundant natural resources must become engines of shared prosperity rather than sources of perpetual dependency.”

He described Africa as being positioned to contribute significantly to global economic growth, citing its youthful population, natural wealth, expanding markets and capacity for innovation.

“Africa is ready for the future,” Tinubu said.

“Our resilience, our ingenuity, our youthful population, our natural wealth and our expanding markets can make us a major driver of global growth in this century.”

The President called for a United Nations capable of adapting to present and future realities, stressing that restoring trust required countries to honour their obligations and manage global changes through cooperation.

“Nigeria pledges to choose cooperation over confrontation, dialogue over division, hope over fear and partnership over isolation,” he said.

“Restoring trust requires us to honour our obligations to one another and to manage the changes before us with justice, wisdom and compassion.”

Tinubu concluded by urging world leaders to translate their deliberations into concrete action.

“A reformed, inclusive and effective United Nations is indispensable to the peaceful, just and sustainable world that future generations deserve,” he said.

“Whatever our differences, we must remember that humanity is our oldest citizenship, and peace is the inheritance we owe every child.”