Nigeria Reiterates Support for Two-State Solution, Insists It’s Key to Ending Israeli-Palestinian Perennial Crisis

By: Michael Mike

Nigeria has reiterated its support for two state solution to ending the perennial Israeli- Palestinian crisis, insisting that for peaceful coexistence in the area the two warring states should be given autonomy.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Umar disclosed this at the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations in Abuja.

The Permanent Secretary who was represented by the Director of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Wahab Akande, said: “Nigeria like the rest of the world, stands and says, without doubt, that a two-state solution remains the only path to lasting peace for Israel and Palestine, where both States live in peace and prosperity.

“We attest the opportunities that peace brings, just as the extremist hopes to drive apart rival communities and different religions. We thus work through multilateral platforms within the rule of law, to build the consensus and support that makes this immensely difficult and dangerous task that much easier.

“This is how to deny the enemies the space to stoke tension and cause despair. By our experience that this offers the best, perhaps only hope for peace, reconciliation and victory for the civilised values of a shared humanity.”

On the need for reforms at the UN, Umar said that Nigeria demand for permanent seat at the Security Council is a demand for fairness, for continental equitable representation.

He added that the demand for reform is one that projects credibility to the very institution upon which the hope of multilateralism hinges.

He said: “The United Nations will discover its true relevance only when it sees the world as it is, not as it was. Nigeria’s journey tells this story with clarity: when the UN was founded, we were a colony of 20 million people, absent from the tables where decisions about our fate were taken; today, we are a sovereign nation of well over 200 million, projected to be the third most populous country in the world, with one of the youngest and most dynamic populations on earth by 2025. A stabilising force in regional security and a consistent partner in global peacekeeping, our case for permanent seat at the Security Council is a demand for fairness, for continental equitable representation, and for reform that projects credibility to the very institution upon which the hope of multilateralism rests.”

He said that “Nigeria stands firmly behind the UN80 Initiative of the Secretary-General, and the resolution adopted by this Assembly on 18 July 2025, a bold step to reform the wider United Nations system for greater relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness in the face of unprecedented financial strain. We support the drive to rationalise structures and end the duplication of responsibilities and programmes, so that this institution may speak with one voice and act with greater coherence. None of us can achieve a peaceful world in isolation. This is the heavy burden of sovereignty.”

He also added that “In cognizance of Nigeria’s belief in the value and power of democracy, Nigeria, as a diverse country, we are working with the United Nations to strengthen Democratic institutions in our region and beyond, through the Regional Partnership for Democracy. The increasingly difficult security outlook has prompted many Member States to count the cost of the emerging world order. Nigeria is already familiar with such difficult choices and our view is that the path to sustainable peace lies in economic growth and prosperity. The government has taken the difficult but necessary steps to restructure our economy and remove distortions, including subsidies and currency controls.”

He added that: “Nigeria with other members of the African continent have made significant strides in recent years to put our affairs in order. We can take that progress to the next level, a level that presents new opportunities for trade, investment and profit, if we can access reforms to strengthen the international financial architecture. We need urgent action to promote debt relief – not as an act of charity but as a clear path to the peace and prosperity that benefits us all. The African Continental Free Trade Area is a remarkable achievement of co-operation. We remain fully committed to the achievement of SDGs – and are convinced this can be best delivered by focusing principally on our primary mission of socio-political growth and shared economic prosperity.”

He stressed that Nigeria welcomes steps that will improve peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), stating that: “We agree that international investment and engagement offer a way out of the cycle of decay and violence. Access to strategic minerals, Sierra Leone in the 1990s and Sudan today, has for too long been a source of conflict rather than prosperity. “Africa has in abundance the critical minerals that will drive the technologies of the future. Investment in exploration, development and processing of these minerals, in Africa, will diversify supply to the international market, reduce tensions between major economies and help shape the architecture for peace and economic emancipation, on a continent that too often in the past has been left behind by the rivalries and competition between different blocs.

He advised that: Let’s lstrive for a world where the freedom, dignity and worth of every person are upheld, and no one is left behind. I join you today to reassert that Nigeria’s commitment to peace, to development, to unity, to multilateralism, and to the defence of human rights is beyond compromise, for none of us is safe until all of us are safe. Let’s seize this opportunity to build a better UN, one that will be more inclusive, responsive, and effective in promoting global peace, security and prosperity for all of us and the generation yet to come.”

The Permanent Secretary also warned that the “anniversary of the UN must not be a sentimental retreat into nostalgia. It must be a moment of truth, an opportunity to examine where we have stumbled and how we could have done better in turning our values into action that meet the demands of today.

“The United Nations will discover its true relevance only when it sees the world as it is, not as it was.”

On his part, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall commended the achievements of the body in the last 80 years.

He said: “Eighty years ago, a world broken by war chose peace over pain, dialogue over division, and humanity over hope. That choice gave birth to the United Nations, a home of all nations, a voice for the voiceless, a bridge across difference. And also a promise to future generations that peace is possible when we all work together.”

He urged all member countries to be intentional in building the future together in line with the theme of the 80th celebration “building our future together.”

He said it is more than a slogan, “It is a call to action. Our future will not be built by chance. It will be built by choice.”

He noted that the future is alive in Nigeria, especially with the roles the country has been playing globally.

He said: “Here in Nigeria, that future is alive. The land of promises, courage, creativity, show that unity can be achieved. Since 1960, Nigeria has been a pillar of multilateralism, a steadfast voice for peace, a leader in the African continent, and a partner to the world.”

He added” We need to rise together or we will fall together. So today, I make an appeal to the member states, to the government of Nigeria, to development partners, to young people, and to everyone. Let us believe in the power of the world that defined the chapter with the purpose of the United Nations.

“Those historic words that opened the chapter remind us that the UN belongs to all of us. Let us support the United Nations. Let us make multilateralism work for the many, not only for a few.

“Let’s make sure multilateralism works for peace, that it works for the planet, that it works for people, that it works for prosperity for the generations yet to come. “As we build our shared future, may we remember the UN remains a hope for those who have no hope at all, the bridge between despair and possibility, and as we look to the next 80 years, let us remember the words of the former Secretary-General, Baye Kamashole, the UN was not created to take us to heaven, but to deliver us from hell and of God. May this world remind us why we are here.

“May it remind us that we cannot escape our problems of today, but we can solve them if we work together.”

Nigeria Reiterates Support for Two-State Solution, Insists It’s Key to Ending Israeli-Palestinian Perennial Crisis