Why Nigeria Should Be a Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council

First published more than thirty years ago as a pioneering work in the domain of African sensibility in global diplomacy, this book, Why Nigeria Should Be a Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council: Perspectives and Rationale, primarily intellectualizes the now perennial conversation around Nigeria's valid candidacy for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council. In providing a persuasive case of Nigeria's preeminent qualification for the elevated and strategic position, the authors argue

convincingly about its ranking as the world's most populous black nation, its standing as Africa's biggest economy (in terms of its human and material resources, and its commitment as a promoter of African mass industrialization and continental prosperity), its robust and consistent contribution to global peacekeeping, among other factors. Apart from the emphasis on Nigeria's eligibility for the apex decision-making body, the book presents an irresistibly enlightening discourse on global politics, particularly the need for an overhaul of the key operational structures and systems for more effectiveness in the pursuit of global peace, stability and progress. The point is, thus, inevitably made that one organ of the United Nations that demands the most far-ranging reforms is also the one that is the most important and consequential for the maintenance of global peace and security: the UN Security Council. In exploring the contentious issue of restructuring the Security Council, the

authors specifically itemize the imperative of foregrounding the cardinal values that provide the basic justification for the existence of a global body of the stature of the United Nations: inclusivity, equity and justice. Scholars of international politics and enthusiasts of Nigeria's role and contributions in that "space', are encouraged to read this book.