Category: Leadership & Diplomacy

Nigeria’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN, Professor Tijjani Bande emerged as the Acting President to preside over the 81st Plenary Meeting of UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters following the absence of the President of the Assembly, Peter Thomson, who was on an official travel to the Central African Republic.

Professor Bande’s presidency at the Plenary Meeting happened just nine days after he presented his credentials to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Nigeria was appointed one of the 21 Vice Presidents of the General Assembly on June 13, 2016 at the 71st session of the General Assembly.

The United Nations (UN) Deputy General and Nigeria’s former Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina J Mohammed has been appointed as honorary member of the New York Academy of Sciences [2017].

The New York Academy of Sciences honors distinguished individuals through Honorary Memberships, and through the Academy Fellows program, which existed from 1976 through 2006. These awards are highly regarded in the international science community and reflect the Academy’s commitment to excellence, its heritage, and serving its worldwide Membership.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Amaju Pinnick has been appointed president of AFCON – Africa Cup of Nations, and Media Committees of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Amaju Pinnick’s appointment was made at the first Executive Committee meeting of the CAF, which took place at the Sheraton Hotel in Manama, Bahrain.

Nigeria has been re-elected by acclamation, for the 45th time, to chair the United Nations, UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, widely regarded as UN’s most strategic committee.

Nigeria has chaired the UN special committee on peacekeeping operations from 1972 till date.

Nigeria is the 14th largest troops contributing nation to UN Peacekeeping operations and eighth in Africa, according to the last data published by the UN Peacekeeping Department.

The data showed that Nigeria contributed 2,170 peacekeeping personnel in 2016, made up of 403 policemen, 46 military experts and 1,721 troops, out of which 232 were females.

After the re-election, Nigeria introduced two new paragraphs for adoption into the 2017 report.

The first was on the impact of illicit financial flows on resource mobilization and sustainable development, with a call for a return of proceeds of such flows to their countries of origin.

The second took note of the Donald Kaberuka report on potions for funding AU peace support operations authorized by the Security Council.

The two texts were adopted alongside other major recommendations.

The UN Special Committee was established by General Assembly resolution 2006 (XIX) of Feb. 18, 1965, to conduct a comprehensive review of all issues relating to peacekeeping.

It is comprises 147 Member States, mostly past or current contributors to peacekeeping operations, while 14 other Member States, intergovernmental organizations and entities, including AU and Interpol are observers.

The Bureau for Public Service Reforms (BPSR) has rated the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), as the best public sector organisation in the country with a score above 90% to clinch the Platinum level award.

This is the outcome of a sequence of validation assessments in all essential areas of responsibility resulting in an overall quality of work that was found to be superior, exceptional and unique of all Federal public sector organisations in Nigeria.

In recognition of his expertise and pioneering role in professional background check in Nigeria and West Africa, Kola Olugbodi, managing director, Background Check International (BCI), has received a fellowship of the Institute of Information Management (IIM) in Africa.

Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who is also Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has emerged President of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC).