By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima has warned world leaders against assuming that distant wars carry no costs for countries geographically removed from them, insisting that conflict anywhere in the world could disrupt trade, deepen humanitarian pressures and generate wider economic and security shocks.
Shettima issued the warning while delivering President Bola Tinubu’s national statement at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, 24 September, 2026, during the 81st General Debate, where he spoke fourth during the afternoon session on its third day.
Drawing from Nigeria’s prolonged battle against Boko Haram, ISWAP and other armed groups, he called for stronger international cooperation against transnational security threats, arguing that modern threats exploited gaps between countries and could not be defeated through isolated national responses.
Shettima maintained that military operations remained necessary but could not, by themselves, deliver lasting victory over violent extremism, insisting that sustainable security must also rest on education, economic opportunity, accountable governance and respect for human rights.
He linked this argument to Nigeria’s wider advocacy for collective security and effective multilateral institutions, declaring that Nigeria remained ready to work with neighbours and international partners to confront terrorism and other destabilising threats.
He explained that through the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and Gulf of Guinea partnerships, Nigeria continued to participate in mediation, counter-terrorism, maritime security and efforts to strengthen democratic governance.
The Vice President recalled Nigeria’s long record of contributing personnel and resources to peace operations across Africa, citing engagements in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Mali and The Gambia as examples of the country responding to instability beyond its borders.
He explained that such engagements reflected Nigeria’s conviction that conflicts in one country could generate consequences for neighbours and the wider international community.
Expanding on the risks of distant conflicts, Shettima argued that such crises could disrupt trade, increase humanitarian pressures, drive displacement, strengthen extremist networks and create wider economic and security shocks, calling for renewed commitment to dialogue, mutual respect, collective responsibility and international law.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for the peaceful resolution of disputes under the UN Charter, identifying Sudan and other conflict-affected countries as requiring urgent diplomatic attention because of the consequences for civilians and regional stability.
The Vice President further warned against rising nationalism and a weakening commitment to multilateral cooperation, stating that continuing conflicts around the world recalled the fundamental reason the United Nations was created after the devastation of the Second World War.
According to him, Nigeria remains committed to an international order where disputes are addressed through diplomacy rather than arbitrary power.
Shettima linked international security to development, maintaining that deprivation and institutional weakness could undermine the durability of military gains.
The Nigerian delegation also called for stronger global institutions capable of coordinating responses to terrorism, cyber threats and other challenges that do not respect national borders.
Nigeria said its experiences with insurgency had reinforced its belief that peace required both effective security measures and conditions that denied violent groups opportunities to recruit and operate, with Shettima urging greater international solidarity, regional leadership and sustained investment in the social foundations of peace.
