NATIONAL STATEMENT OF PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU AT UNGA NATIONAL STATEMENT OF HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU GCFR, DELIVERED BY HIS EXCELLENCY, KASHIM SHETTIMA,GCON, VICE-PRESIDENT, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA,DURING THE GENERAL DEBATE OF THE 80TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN NEW YORK.

sector, governments and communities, to close the digital divide. As we stand on the threshold of new and dramatic technological change, we are still absorbing the impact of the revolution in information and communication of the past 20 years. We understand better than we did, the opportunities technology offers as well as the safeguards we need to enable growth and mitigate the potential for corrosion. Some worry about fake news. We have plenty of that, with the potential of devastating real-world consequences in countries rich and poor. I am more worried about an emerging generation that grows ever more cynical, because it believes nothing and trusts less. As technology shakes up public administration, law, finance, conflict and so much of the human condition, I am calling for a new dialogue, to ensure we promote the best of the opportunities that are arising – and promote the level of access that allows emerging economies more quickly, to close a wealth and knowledge gap that is in no one’s interest.

23. I join you today to reassert that Nigeria’s commitment to peace, to development, to unity, to multilateralism, and to the defence of human rights is beyond compromise. For none of us is safe until all of us are safe. The road ahead will not be easy, and we know there are no quick fixes to the trials that test the human spirit. Yet history reminds us that bold action in pursuit of noble ideals has always defined the story of the United Nations. Time and again, we have found the wisdom to balance sovereign rights with collective responsibility. That balance is once again in question, but I believe that a renewed commitment to multilateralism, not as a slogan but as an article of faith, remains our surest path forward. Nigeria dedicates itself fully and without reservation to that noble cause.

24. I thank you.