By Khadijah Shehu Abdulkareem
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to a comprehensive nuclear test ban through collaboration with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO).
Shettima emphasised that Nigeria and other African countries currently prioritise addressing existential challenges such as poverty and the effects of climate change, rather than the pursuit of nuclear weapons capability.
He made this known on Monday while receiving the Executive Secretary of the CTBTO, Dr Robert Floyd, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa.
Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice President), disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
“The outcome of any nuclear conflict is never a win-win situation; it is always the opposite. We are fighting poverty; we are fighting a war against the relationship between the economy and ecology in sub-Saharan Africa. 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, and 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,” Shettima noted.
The Vice President, while commending the CTBTO’s work, added: “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.”
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the CTBTO, Dr Floyd, applauded Nigeria’s leadership under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for contributing to the reduction in nuclear testing globally and for upholding strong international norms against it. He described the relationship between the organisation and Nigeria as a natural partnership.