Nigeria ranked among five nations elected yesterday to the prestigious United Nations (UN) Security Council for a two-year tenure, beginning from January 1, next year.
The other countries are Brazil, Gabon, Bosnia and Lebanon.
The election as non-permanent members of the UN’s most powerful organ falls quite short of Nigeria’s crusade for permanent membership under a restructured system of the world body. It nonetheless enhances the country’s relevance in global affairs, and locates her under more intense global scrutiny.
The permanent members under the current system are the five veto-wielding world powers namely the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.
Agency reports said yesterday that unlike most previous Security Council elections, there were no contested seats this year. As a result, the five countries nominated by regional groups won an easy victory on first ballot in the voting by the 192-member General Assembly.
Even then, Nigeria led the way with 186 votes, according to the results announced by Assembly President Ali Treki. Gabon got 184 votes; Bosnia, 183; Brazil, 182 and Lebanon, 180 votes.
Treki’s announcement of the results reportedly elicited a burst of applause from diplomats at the world body.
