Upon discovery of a $120million indebtedness in membership dues and related fi nancial commitments to international bodies, Nigeria has announced her gradual withdrawal from some 90 of the 310 international organisations she belongs.
Th e commitment, it was revealed, usually costs the nation about $70million annually, with little or no benefi ts accruing from the membership.
Disclosing this while briefi ng journalists at the end of the Federal Executive Council yesterday in Abuja, Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, said the decision followed the adoption of a report by the interministerial committee set up to look at the pros and cons of the nation’s membership of the organisations.
Th e meeting was chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, being his fi rst since returning from the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Briefi ng alongside her Foreign Aff airs counterpart Geoff rey Onyeama, Mrs. Adeosun was, however, silent on the organisations from which the country was withdrawing her membership.
She however told newsmen that the committee was given two weeks within which to review the recommendations following which a fi nal decision would be taken by FEC.
Adeosun explained that the decision was taken because of the huge debts Nigeria was accumulating by her membership of some many of them with little or no benefi ts.
“Basically, Nigeria is a member of 310 international organisations and a committee was set up to review the rationale of our continued membership of such a large number of our organizations, particularly in the light of the fact that in many cases, we are not actually paying our fi nancial obligations and subscriptions which is causing some embarrassment to Nigeria and our image abroad.
“In particular, it was discussed that there are some commitments made to international organisations made by former presidents which were not cash-backed.
So when our delegations turn up at those organisations we become very embarrassed.
So that was what drove the committee.
“Th e committee made some recommendations: Th at out of the 310 organisations, 220 organisations should be retained and the rest we should withdraw membership from.
“But council directed that more work needed to be done, particularly there was a dispute as to the fi gure of how much is owed.
Th e committee had a fi gure of about $ 120 million, but we are clear from Ministry of Finance and other ministries that it is far more than that.
Our subscriptions are in arrears in a number of major organizations.
“So the directive of the council was that we should go and reconcile those fi gures and come back to council and have a payment plan for those fi gures to avoid Nigeria being embarrassed internationally.
And also circulars needed to be issued on who can commit Nigeria because it was discovered it would be a director or an ambassador who attended the meeting who committed subscription on behalf of Nigeria.
Of course then the international organization then begins to chase us for its money,” Adeosun further clarifi ed.
Continuing, she said, “we need to tighten up the procedures of committing Nigeria to any form of subscription or donations to international organizations.
“Th e committee is due to come back in the next two weeks with the fi nal fi gures.
And then ministers were then asked to look at the recommendations of those international organisations which we want to withdraw from and ensure that they are in support of those decisions before we will fi nalize the work on this issue.
“So basically, this is just prudence and value for money.
Nigeria doesn’t need to be a member of every single organisation but those we are members of, we have made a decision as FEC that we must prioritise and pay our obligations because that is part of the nation’s image.
Th at is what gives Nigeria as a country the right to sit up very straight at international meetings, when you haven’t paid up your subscriptions you can’t necessarily do so.
“Th e subscriptions are $70 million per annum and there are lots and lots of arrears.
” Also speaking, Minister Onyeama said he also briefed the council on Nigeria’s participation in the just concluded 72nd United Nations General Assembly in New York., describing it as “extremely successful.
” UN obsolete Meanwhile, the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, Prof.
Tijjani Bande, has described as obsolete and old-fashioned composition of the UN Security Council, and therefore undemocratic.
Tijani told journalists in New York that there was an urgent need to reform the body.
Th e Security Council is the UN’s most powerful principal organ with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security as well as accepting new members to the UN.
It is vested with powers for the establishment of peacekeeping operations and the establishment of international sanctions.
Th e Council has the authorisation for military action through Security Council resolutions and it is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states.
“First of all, the fundamental question is that in the current global reality, where everybody is talking democracy, United Nations must show example.
“Clearly, it is an anachronistic notion to have a body composed of few countries that can veto the entirety of the global community through the Council is not representative,” Tijani said.
