Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Africa cannot continue to bear the burdens of the global international order while being denied an equal voice in directing it.

Shettima stated this  during a meeting with the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The development was contained in a statement issued on September 27, 2026, by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President.

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Shettima said Africa’s continued exclusion from permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council undermines fairness and the legitimacy of global governance.

“A continent cannot be summoned to bear the burdens of the international order and then denied an equal hand in directing it,” he said.

The Vice President reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for urgent reform of the United Nations, saying international institutions must become more representative, responsive and credible while reflecting current geopolitical and demographic realities.

He also commended UN Secretary-General António Guterres for supporting a more representative Security Council, citing his position that a 21st-century Council without permanent African representation is “unjust and indefensible.”

Shettima further praised Guterres for defending international law and human dignity amid conflicts and growing global tensions.

“You have remained a voice of reason as individual states drift from the obligations they assumed under the United Nations Charter and the rules of international law,” Shettima said.

He stressed that diplomacy must remain focused on the human consequences of conflicts.

“The mother searching for her child, the family driven from home and the hungry child awaiting food must never become abstractions in the language of states,” he added.

The Vice President also commended Amina Mohammed for her role in multilateral diplomacy and sustainable development, describing her service as a source of pride to Nigeria.

“Nigeria will remain a willing ally in the work of restoring trust among nations and dignity to lives diminished by hunger, violence and exclusion,” he said.

Mohammed, in response, thanked Nigeria and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for their support for the United Nations and her office.

“I want to thank through you, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and you for embracing me wholeheartedly not just as the DSG but as a daughter of the soil,” she said.

She described the visit as a “deep honour” and said Tinubu had been an “incredible support” to her and the UN institution.

Those present at the meeting included Governors Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, Hyacinth Alia of Benue, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara; Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jimoh Ibrahim; and other senior officials.

Heavy rains have triggered severe flooding across parts of Bangkok, Thailand, forcing nearly 4,900 residents to evacuate to shelters as floodwaters swept through roads and residential areas.

The flooding has disrupted movement across parts of the Thai capital, with motorists and pedestrians forced to navigate submerged roads and seek alternative routes.

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According to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, about 52,000 households have been affected by the flooding, prompting authorities to declare a flood disaster and intensify emergency response efforts.

Emergency teams have been deployed to assist affected communities and move residents from vulnerable areas to safer locations as water levels rise.

Bangkok is accustomed to seasonal heavy rainfall, but intense downpours can overwhelm drainage systems, particularly in low-lying areas, resulting in widespread flooding and disruption.

Authorities are continuing to monitor affected locations while coordinating evacuations and other emergency measures.

For thousands of residents, the immediate priority remains securing safe shelter and protecting homes and livelihoods as authorities work to manage the situation and restore normal activities once the floodwaters recede.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has said more than 10 million Nigerians have received ₦75,000 each through the Federal Government’s conditional cash transfer programme.

Yilwatda made the disclosure on Saturday while responding to questions from journalists after the APC’s three-day National Executive Council (NEC) retreat in Maiduguri, Borno State.

According to him, many of the beneficiaries are not active on social media because they cannot afford mobile phones and other communication devices.

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He said this has made the impact of the government’s interventions less visible in online discussions.

“We have given 75,000 naira to over 10 million Nigerians across the country using the conditional cash transfer under the ministry of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction,” Yilwatda said.

The APC chairman said the beneficiaries were largely vulnerable Nigerians who have limited access to mobile phones, television and social media platforms.

He maintained that the absence of beneficiaries from social media discussions should not be interpreted to mean that government interventions were not reaching them.

Yilwatda also listed road construction, employment opportunities created through infrastructure projects and student loans among programmes implemented by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.

He said the Federal Government was constructing roads across the country while Nigerians working on the projects were being paid.

His comments come amid ongoing public scrutiny of the Federal Government’s conditional cash transfer programme, particularly regarding the number of beneficiaries and the amount disbursed.

In August, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, said the government had distributed more than ₦600 billion in cash transfers over three years, reaching slightly more than 10 million households.

Biztellers reports that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar subsequently questioned the government’s reported beneficiary figures and called for greater transparency and accountability in the programme.

Meanwhile, Yilwatda said the APC NEC retreat also reviewed the party’s structures and activities at the national, state, local government, ward and polling-unit levels ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said the party had resolved to strengthen reconciliation efforts across its state chapters and urged chapters that had yet to establish reconciliation committees to do so.

Yilwatda added that the APC leadership would take an active role in communicating the Tinubu administration’s programmes and achievements to Nigerians during the party’s electioneering activities.

The APC chairman also said the NEC expressed support for President Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima and other APC candidates who emerged from the party’s primaries for the 2027 elections.

The party also expressed condolences to the government and people of Niger State over the deaths of 37 miners.