By Ayomide Otitoju
Vice President Kashim Shettima has restated Nigeria’s commitment to the global ban on nuclear weapons testing, emphasizing that Africa’s priorities lie in addressing poverty and climate-related challenges, not in pursuing nuclear capabilities.
Shettima made the remarks during a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa by a delegation from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), led by its Executive Secretary, Dr. Robert Floyd.
“Nuclear conflict benefits no one,” Shettima said. “We are confronting poverty, climate stress, and economic imbalance in sub-Saharan Africa. Engaging in nuclear weapons development is not on our agenda.”
He expressed Nigeria’s unwavering support for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and commended the CTBTO for its vigilance, noting the organisation’s 337 global monitoring stations and its ability to detect all seven nuclear tests conducted by North Korea.
The Vice President also praised the organisation’s civilian contributions, including tsunami detection and seismic monitoring, which he said play a critical role in maintaining global ecological stability.
Dr. Floyd, in his remarks, applauded Nigeria’s active role in supporting the CTBTO’s mission, particularly through the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA). He described the relationship between Nigeria and the CTBTO as a “natural partnership,” and hailed the country’s technical contributions and leadership on the continent.
