President Bola Tinubu has received the United Nations’ proposed 2027 budget from Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jimoh Ibrahim.
Mr Ibrahim, who chairs the UN General Assembly’s Fifth Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Matters, presented the seven-volume document to the president after its submission by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
He described the presentation as historic, saying it was the first time in 66 years that Nigeria would chair the committee responsible for the UN’s budget and administration.
“This is the first time in 66 years that Nigeria will chair the Budget and Administrative Committee. It is the first time, and we do not know when it will happen again in history.
“So president Bola Ahmed Tinubu is making history by being able to receive this budget. He is the first Nigerian president in 66 years to receive the UN budget from the United Nations,” he said.
According to the envoy, the proposed regular budget stands at about $3.4 billion, while the peacekeeping budget is about $8.5 billion.
He put the combined figure at about $14 billion, equivalent to between N36 trillion and N40 trillion.
“It is not a small matter for a country to receive the entire UN budget.
“I am happy that the president has received the seven volumes of the proposed budget,” he said.
Mr Ibrahim said the document remained a proposal and would undergo detailed negotiations and approval by member states before implementation.
“It is the proposal submitted to member countries. Thereafter, the budget is discussed in detail, the figures are adjusted, and the final budget is approved before spending commences,” he explained.
He declined to disclose Nigeria’s expected benefits from the budget, saying negotiations with other committee members were ongoing.
“As for Nigeria, I do not want to discuss what Nigeria will get from the budget. That would be going too far, because my colleagues and I are still discussing it,” he said.
Mr Ibrahim also highlighted the scale of UN spending, citing the construction of a $260 million conference centre in Kenya.
“A lot is happening. As of today, the United Nations is building a $260 million conference centre in Kenya. You can see what that means,” he said.
Nigeria officially assumed the chairmanship of the UN General Assembly’s Fifth Committee, which is responsible for the organisation’s budget and administrative affairs, on September 3.
As chairman of the Fifth Committee, Nigeria will oversee deliberations on the organisation’s budgets, financial governance, human resources, institutional efficiency, oversight and the resources required to implement mandates approved by member states.
The Fifth Committee occupies a strategic position within the General Assembly, as decisions relating to peace and security, development, human rights, humanitarian operations and other areas of the UN system ultimately require financial and administrative support.
Its recommendations therefore have direct implications for how mandates approved by the General Assembly are financed and implemented.
(NAN)