Nigeria has called for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, telling a high level United Nations meeting that the only true guarantee against their use is getting rid of them altogether.
The position was set out on Tuesday in New York by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, at a plenary of the 81st session of the General Assembly marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, according to the Nigerian mission’s account carried by the News Agency of Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, Ibrahim said Nigeria neither owned nuclear weapons nor saw any need for them. “Nigeria does not possess nuclear weapons, has never pursued a nuclear-weapons programme and has no intention of doing so. Our security does not depend on nuclear weapons,” he said.
He argued that lasting security should rest on dialogue, international law and cooperation among states of equal standing rather than on arsenals. In his words, “Nigeria firmly believes that the only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is their total elimination.”
The envoy said thousands of warheads remained in existence while the countries that hold them pressed on with modernisation programmes, at a time of rising geopolitical tension and growing strain on global arms control arrangements. He warned that continued modernisation and reliance on deterrence only raised the risk of miscalculation, escalation and catastrophic humanitarian harm.
Ibrahim urged the recognised nuclear-weapon states to meet their disarmament obligations under Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and to move towards what he called the irreversible, transparent and verifiable elimination of their stockpiles. He described the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a cornerstone of the wider non-proliferation regime and encouraged states that have not joined the treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons to consider doing so.
He also pointed to Africa’s own record, citing the Treaty of Pelindaba, which established the continent as a nuclear-weapon-free zone. “Africa has already demonstrated what is possible through the Treaty of Pelindaba,” he said, adding that Nigeria supported the creation and strengthening of similar zones in other regions.
The address separated the rejection of nuclear weapons from the use of nuclear science for peaceful ends. Ibrahim said Nigeria supported the right of countries to develop nuclear technology for civilian purposes, provided it complied with international obligations and served fields such as healthcare, agriculture, energy, water management and sustainable development.
The statement is consistent with positions Nigeria has held for years. In accounts of the same session reported by Leadership and Channels Television, the President’s message also called on the UN Security Council to provide stronger leadership in enforcing the UN Charter on weapons of mass destruction and the prevention of armed conflict, and described those who support the development of such weapons as enemies of democracy.
The stance also tracks earlier declarations. In July 2025, the Federal Government ruled out any intention to build nuclear weapons, with Vice President Kashim Shettima reaffirming the country’s commitment to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and its cooperation with the treaty’s organisation. Further back, in 2020, former President Muhammadu Buhari used a similar UN platform to press nuclear-weapon states to comply with their disarmament obligations and to highlight Nigeria’s role in the Pelindaba framework.
The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons was established by the General Assembly to raise public awareness of the dangers the weapons pose and to build momentum towards a world free of them. It is marked each year on 26 September, with commemorative sessions held during the annual gathering of world leaders.
The context behind Nigeria’s appeal is a difficult one for the disarmament cause. The Non-Proliferation Treaty, in force since 1970, commits its non-nuclear members not to acquire the weapons and obliges the recognised nuclear powers to pursue disarmament in good faith, but progress on that second pledge has stalled in recent years as major holders modernise rather than reduce their arsenals. The separate Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which Nigeria has ratified, bans the weapons outright but has not been joined by any state that possesses them, which limits its practical reach.
For Nigeria, the appeal reflects a settled foreign policy line rather than a shift. As a non-nuclear state and a party to both the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Pelindaba Treaty, the country has long framed disarmament as a moral and security priority for the developing world, which would bear consequences well beyond any conflict zone should the weapons ever be used. Whether such appeals move the states that actually hold the arsenals is a separate question, and one the latest session did little to resolve.