Nigeria Has No Business With Nuclear Weapons – VP Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), emphasizing that the country’s focus remains on addressing poverty and climate-related challenges, not the pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Shettima made the statement on Monday while receiving the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), Dr. Robert Floyd, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

“The outcome of any nuclear conflict is never a win-win situation; it is always the opposite,” Shettima said.

“We are fighting poverty; we are fighting a war against the relationship between the economy and ecology in sub-Saharan Africa.”

He stressed that nuclear weapons have no place in Africa’s current development agenda.

“We have no business dabbling in anything that has to do with nuclear weapons. I want to assure and reiterate our commitment to a comprehensive nuclear test ban,” he said.

The vice president also praised CTBTO’s global monitoring efforts and dual-use technologies that contribute to both security and disaster preparedness.

“I want to appreciate your organisation for the extra vigilance you have taken, having 337 stations spread across the world. All seven tests conducted by DPR Korea were detected.

“The beauty of CTBTO’s function is that its monitors also serve civilian purposes, especially in assisting us to detect tsunamis and volcanic seismic activities.

“Your functions are contributing to the global stability of our ecology,” Shettima added.

Earlier, Dr. Robert Floyd commended Nigeria’s leadership under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for advancing global efforts to eliminate nuclear testing and establish strong international norms against it.

“Nigeria has been a natural partner,” Floyd noted, lauding the country’s contributions through the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA).

He acknowledged the quality of Nigeria’s technical inputs and its commitment to the CTBTO’s mission, highlighting the importance of the data produced by the country in early disaster detection and environmental monitoring.

Also speaking during the visit, Acting Chairman of NAEC, Anthony Ekedegwa, noted that Nigeria’s partnership with the CTBTO has helped in building local capacity and equipping institutions for sectoral development.

The Director-General of the NNRA, Dr. Yau Idris, further highlighted the collaborative role his agency plays with CTBTO to ensure global adherence to nuclear test bans and related regulations.