UN Secretary-General Guterres demands permanent seat for Africa at Security Council
By: Abudu Olalekan
Funny how moments come. This one feels sharp to Antonio Guterres.
Things aren’t sitting right with the UN’s top official when he looks at the Security Council. Missing Africa from the permanent lineup strikes him as plainly unjust. He sees no good reason for it to stay that way.
Furious words spilled out across his confirmed X profile that day. A Saturday post carried what he really thought.
Frozen in history, says Guterres, that’s where the world organization stands. Reality today demands attention – yet it keeps reaching back to a 1945 mindset.
“The absence of permanent African seats on the Security Council is indefensible,” he posted.
Outright he spoke. Plain it came across.
Africa’s numbers keep rising. Power shifts follow close behind. Still, seats at the table haven’t moved since the old days. The head of the United Nations says the setup feels stuck in time. Today’s world doesn’t match what sits inside those walls.
“The Security Council must reflect today’s world. This is 2026 – not 1946,” Guterres stated.
At this moment, only a few people are allowed inside.
Africa sits outside the circle of five permanent spots. Held instead by heavyweights – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States.
Every now and then, countries from Africa join the group – for a short time only. Being there doesn’t mean they stay through everything. Imagine walking into a room just as people start talking seriously – then getting told it’s time to go.
This must end, Guterres insists.
At the table when decisions happen. His point was clear: Africa speaks for itself. Not through others. Always present if it’s about Africa. That presence never fades.
“Whenever decisions about Africa and the world are on the table, Africa must be at the table,” he insisted.
It has been going on for a long time now.
Years pass, yet voices demanding change grow louder. Some nations push for more seats at the table inside the Council. Power moves across the world – they say decisions should reflect that shift.
Nowhere has the tension grown more than after Guterres spoke again. Since half of the world’s future populations will come from Africa, shutting it out feels increasingly absurd.
Funny thing – back in September 2025, Reportersroom mentioned Nigeria had started raising concerns. Noise began there first.
From New York, words came loud. Not silence, but clear demand shaped by Vice-President Kashim Shettima. At the 80th UNGA meeting, voice carried weight. A place among top nations – Nigeria must have it. President Bola Tinubu stood firm behind that call.
Facing global figures, Tinubu said the United Nations needs change to stay meaningful.
Paper trails told the story. Back then, 1945, Nigeria wasn’t free – just twenty million souls under colonial rule. Now? A country standing on its own, home to more than two hundred thirty-six million lives. That shift refuses to be overlooked.
This time, the leader tied changes in politics straight to cash and staying afloat. Because of how things stand, he pushed for cutting national debts and opening trade without bias.
“Nigeria must have a permanent seat at the UN Security Council,” he had said. “This should take place as part of a wider process of institutional reform.”
