President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday, asked the United Nations (UN) to prioritise debt forgiveness for Nigeria and other developing countries from creditors and multilateral financial institutions.
Tinubu charged world leaders to recommit themselves to multilateralism by deepening relations among UN member-states in line with the principles of inclusivity, equality and cooperation.
He said this was the surest guarantee of global action against existential challenges faced by the international community.
Tinubu, who is Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), made the calls while addressing world leaders during the General Debate at the ongoing 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York, United States.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the high-level annual global event, he stressed the dangers of digressing from multilateralism. The Nigerian president drew the UN’s attention to the global debt burden undermining the ability of countries and governments to meet the needs of their citizens.
He also highlighted the fact that trade barriers and protectionist policies were destroying the hopes of nations, while uncontrollable competition was discouraging motivation and hampering global investments.