Africa and Un Reforms: An Assessment of Nigeria’s Quest for the Security Council Permanent Seat

Africa and Un Reforms: An Assessment of Nigeria’s Quest for the Security Council Permanent Seat.

ABSTRACT  

The African Continent and indeed the developing world have been marginalized from global politics and relations in the affairs of the United Nations since its inception in 1945 over sixty seven (67) years ago. This study x-rays and appraises critically the prevailing existing order between Africa and UN; the negative impact of this asymmetrical relationship towards Africa and more importantly, Nigeria’s quest for the Security Council Permanent Seat is seriously interrogated with a view to bring about fundamental change.

To this end, the study in anchored on this research question: Will Nigeria’s role in both regional and global peacekeeping efforts help ensure her a seat in the Security Council? The study employed the Marxian Political Economy Theory as its framework of analysis, and thereby advocating for the reformation and re-creation of the United Nations especially the Security Council to accommodate the African course and interests.

Also, the study made a special case for Nigeria, a prime African state to be given the chance of occupying the Permanent Seat of the Security Council in its reform agenda. Finally, based on the research findings that Africa has fared abysmally in the standing global order, the study state that economic and socio political development should be pursued with more vigor by the United Nations for the benefit of global citizenry and for an assertive role in the global system and Africa should absorb “NeoPan Africanism” ideology in the tide of the current UN reform programme. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page – – – – – – – – – i
Approval page – – – – – – – – – ii
Dedication – – – – – – – – – iii
Acknowledgement – – – – – – – – iv
Abstract – – – – – – – – – vi
Table of contents – – – – – – – – vii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study – – – – – – 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem – – – – – – 2
1.3 Objective of the Study – – – – – – 5
1.4 Significance of the Study – – – – – – 5
1.5 Literature Review – – – – – – – 6
1.6 Theoretical Framework – – – – – – 31
1.7 Hypothesis – – – – – – – – 34
1.8 Method of Data Collection – – – – – – 34
1.9 Research Design – – – – – – – 35

CHAPTER TWO: THE UNITED NATIONS REFORMS AND NIGERIA’S
QUEST FOR A PERMANENT SEAT
2.1 The Case for Nigeria: A Scrutiny – – – – – 37
2.2 Nigeria’s Leadership Roles in Africa – – – – 41
2.3 Nigeria’s Involvement in Decision Making Processes in the Global Political and
Diplomatic Arena – – – – – – – 43
2.4 Nigeria’s Contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations (1960 –Present) – 44

CHAPTER THREE: THE FRAMEWORK FOR UNITED NATIONS
REFORMS
3.1 The Nature of the Current United Nations Reform – – – 47
3.2 The Reform of the UN Security Council – – – – – 51
3.3 Peace-Keeping Operations Reform – – – – – 54
3.4 The Reform of the UN Role in Social and Economic Development – – 58
3.5 Criterion for Permanent Membership of the UN Security Council. – – 63

CHAPTER FOUR: AFRICA AND THE UNITED NATIONS REFORM
4.1 Collective Security and the Challenge of Prevention – – – 65
4.2 Collective Security and the use of Force – – – – 66
4.3 Institutional Reform – – – – – – – 67

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
5.1 Summary – – – – – – – – 70
5.2 Recommendations – – – – – – – 71
5.3 Conclusion – – – – – – – – 72
Bibliography – – – – – – – – 74

INTRODUCTION  

It is clear that the United Nations was conceived on 1st January, 1942 during the Second World War, when some states about 66 of them pledged to fight together against the Axis powers led by Nazi Germany. It was on that fateful date that the then United State President, Franklin D. Roosevelt coined and used the name “United Nations” for the very first time to indicate the birth of the Victorious Allied Forces.

Before this development was the demise of the League of Nations (L.N), the forerunner of the UN, an organization that came into being in 1919 under the Versailles Treaty at the end of the First World War with the specific objective “to promote international co-operation and to achieve peace and security” (McNeil (1963), Inis (1971). The League Covenant 1919). It is of course now history that the League of Nations failed to prevent the outbreak of the Second World War.

By 1945, delegates from fifty (50) countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Security and drew up the United Nations (UN) Charter and on the 26th June 1945, all the representatives of these countries signed the charter. Poland endorsed the charter later, though not represented at the conference to become one of the founding members.

Suffice therefore to state that on the 24th October 1945, the charter was ratified by France, Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom and United States and the UN officially came into existence and its Day is celebrated annually on 24th October. Many of the African States that are members of the United Nations joined after their flag independence and were compelled to play second fiddle facing the challenge of operating in an already established system. It is worth noting however that the UN gave boost to decolonization in Africa and other areas of the world. 

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