Vice President Kashim Shettima has restated Nigeria’s strong commitment to the global ban on nuclear weapons testing, saying the country remains firmly opposed to any form of nuclear weapons development.
Shettima made this known during a meeting with a delegation from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), led by its Executive Secretary, Dr Robert Floyd, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He said that like many African countries, Nigeria is currently battling serious socio-economic challenges such as poverty and the effects of climate change, and therefore has no interest in pursuing nuclear weapons.
“We are fighting poverty and trying to manage the relationship between our economy and ecology,” Shettima said. “We have no business dabbling in anything that has to do with nuclear weapons. The outcome of any nuclear conflict is always destructive.”
He highlighted that Africa’s focus should be on solving real-life issues affecting millions of its people, rather than engaging in dangerous arms development.
The Vice President also praised the CTBTO for its civilian contributions beyond nuclear monitoring, such as early detection of tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions, which he said are vital for global safety and environmental protection.
Nigeria has been a long-time supporter of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which aims to prevent nuclear testing worldwide. The country ratified the treaty in 2001.