Will a Nigerian be the next United Nations Secretary-General?

Yes, if we work on it. I first read about the end of the tenure of Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), sometime last year.  In a letter circulated to member states, the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council formally requested nominations to fill the vacant […]

Yes, if we work on it.

I first read about the end of the tenure of Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), sometime last year.  In a letter circulated to member states, the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council formally requested nominations to fill the vacant office, as the holder was completing his tenure in January 2027. After listing out the qualities required of the candidate, the letter wistfully observed that, as no woman has ever held the position of Secretary-General, Member States are encouraged to strongly consider nominating women as candidates.

Fortunately, Nigeria has a candidate who fits the requirements for the office like a glove, and this candidate sits within the UN hierarchy. One would have expected a rush to submit our candidate’s nomination, but there has been eerie silence from our government. Meanwhile, other countries, particularly in Latin America, have been racing to nominate candidates. Guyana has nominated Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, its Permanent Representative to the UN and a former Foreign Minister. Argentina has put forward diplomat Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica has proposed its former Vice President Rebeca Grynspan, and Ecuador has put forward diplomat Maria Fernanda Espinosa.

A wild card of sorts is the candidature of Macky Sall, a former Senegalese president who has been recommended for the post by Burundi, the current chair of the African Union. His country, Senegal, along with 20 African countries, has declined to support him. Nevertheless, Sall has been on the campaign trail ever since, and he even returned to his country last week to mend fences with his successor, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and to seek his support for his ambition.

I was wondering why we have not been in a hurry to make a nomination, when a piece written by A’isha Dankani on the subject matter landed in my WhatsApp box. A’isha, my contemporary in the Federal Civil Service, is now a prominent political activist.  She wrote from her base in Kano, seriously canvassing for the candidature of Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN.

In her write-up, A’isha pointedly asked, “Why has Nigeria not formally presented one of its most distinguished daughters, Amina J. Mohammed, for the highest office in global diplomacy?” It was a question, rhetorically asked, and her answer was emphatic:

“It is a legitimate question. For if the world seeks competence, experience and credibility, few candidates can rival Amina Mohammed. Her credentials are exceptional. Before becoming Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2017, she had already established herself as one of the foremost architects of the global development agenda. As special adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, she led the process that culminated in the adoption of the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This blueprint continues to guide international efforts to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and promote prosperity for all. Today, as Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, she coordinates the UN development system across the globe, helping shape responses to climate change, humanitarian crises, sustainable development and international cooperation. Few individuals possess such an intimate understanding of the workings of the United Nations.

“Yet, before the world came to know Amina Mohammed, Nigeria already did. She served with distinction under successive administrations, beginning with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, where she played an important role in managing the implementation of debt-relief gains for poverty reduction and development. She later served as Minister of Environment under former President Muhammadu Buhari, where she strengthened Nigeria’s engagement in climate policy and sustainable environmental management. Her career is remarkable for transcending partisan politics while remaining firmly anchored in national service.”

Among all the candidates listed above, nominated so far by various governments, none has the glitter of Amina Mohammed’s credentials. Besides holding various ministerial appointments here at home, she also paid her dues within the UN, initially as a Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, from 2012 until when she was picked as Minister of Environment by Buhari’s government in 2015. It was when she was serving as a minister that she was nominated as UN Deputy Secretary-General in 2017.

I know Nigeria has had a disappointing outing once, when in 1991 we supported our former Head of State, Olusegun Obasanjo, to succeed the outgoing UN Secretary-General, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar. Obasanjo had exceptional credentials and was duly nominated by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Besides, he also had the support of a group of former world leaders. Nevertheless, he ultimately lost to Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Many believed Obasanjo lost because of his military background. It was reported that countries with veto power in the UN Security Council were specifically looking for a career diplomat and would not tolerate a former military head of state.

There are also talks of a tradition of regional rotation in appointing the UN Chief, e.g., Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe. Those pushing this point of view suggest that it is now Latin America’s turn, which probably explains why most of the nominations so far have come from there.

From my perspective, none of these should deter Nigeria from putting Amina Mohammed’s name forward and lobbying hard to install her as the next UN Secretary-General.