We’re Fighting Poverty, Not Building Nukes, VP Shettima Tells CTBTO

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).

He said Africa’s priority, at the moment, is to address its existential challenges of poverty and the effects of climate change, not the pursuit of nuclear weapons capability.

The Vice President stated this on Monday when he received on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, the Executive Secretary of the CTBTO, Dr Robert Floyd.

“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,” he noted in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha.

The VP, while commending the CTBTO for its role, said, “The beauty of CTBTO’s function is that its monitors also serve civilian purposes, especially in assisting us to detect tsunamis, volcanic seismic activities. Your functions are contributing to the global stability of our ecology.”

Earlier, the executive secretary of CTBTO, Dr Floyd, applauded Nigeria’s leadership under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for contributing to the attainment of the global average in the reduction of nuclear testing and establishment of strong norms against it, describing the relationship between the organisation and the country as a natural partnership.

Highlighting the contributions of Nigeria through focal agencies – the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), Dr Floyd acknowledged the quality of technical inputs and the commitment by the country in the actualisation of the goals of the CTBTO.

He spoke about the significance of the data generated by the NAEC and NNRA, particularly in saving lives through early detection of natural disasters and other human activities that are inimical to orderliness in the ecosystem.

On his part, the Acting Chairman of NAEC, Engr. Anthony Ekedegwa said Nigeria’s partnership with the CTBTO through the commission has been instrumental in building capacity and equipping the centre for the development of the sector in the country.

In the same vein, the Director General/CEO of the NNRA, Dr Yau Idris, spoke about the collaboration between his agency and the CTBTO in ensuring global adherence to international regulations on nuclear tests and ban.

Also present at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Dunoma Ahmed, CTBTO’s Senior External Relations Officer, Mr Charles Oko, senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the NAEC and NNRA.