Nigeria has reiterated its support for a two-state solution as the most viable path to lasting peace in the Middle East, with Vice President Kashim Shettima urging the global community to uphold the dignity and rights of the Palestinian people.
Delivering Nigeria’s national statement at the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Shettima declared that human life must not be subjected to “the corridors of endless debate,” stressing that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to weigh heavily on the conscience of humanity.
“We do not believe that the sanctity of human life should be trapped in the corridors of endless debate. That is why we say, without stuttering and without doubt, that a two-state solution remains the most dignified path to lasting peace for the people of Palestine,” Shettima told world leaders.
The Vice President lamented that for decades, Palestinians have borne the brunt of a conflict defined by cycles of violence and political stalemate. He described the community as “human beings, equal in worth, entitled to the same freedoms and dignities that the rest of us take for granted,” while rejecting any notion of reducing their suffering to collateral damage in geopolitical struggles.
Shettima emphasized that Nigeria’s stance was rooted in principle rather than partisanship, casting the country as a mediator committed to peace and justice. “We come not as partisans, but as peacemakers. We come as brothers and sisters of a shared world, a world that must never reduce the right to live into the currency of devious politics,” he said.
The statement aligns Nigeria with a broad coalition of nations advocating for renewed international engagement toward a two-state solution, which envisions Israel and Palestine co-existing as independent states. It also reinforces Abuja’s long-standing foreign policy position of supporting decolonization, human rights, and peaceful coexistence.
The Vice President’s remarks come at a time of heightened tension in the Middle East, with ongoing clashes, humanitarian crises, and renewed diplomatic efforts to revive peace talks. Nigeria’s intervention adds to the growing voices at the UNGA urging practical steps to end hostilities and secure a just settlement.
Analysts say the statement reflects Nigeria’s broader push to reassert itself as a moral voice in global diplomacy, drawing from its historical role in anti-apartheid advocacy and peacekeeping across Africa.
