Nigeria Demands More Command Roles in UN Peacekeeping

Posted: Thursday, June 18, 2009
Author: Natalie Matthews

The UN Undersecretary General on UN Peacekeeping, Alain Leroy, visited Nigeria this week where Nigerian Defense Minister Shettima Mustafa made the demand for more command positions for Nigeria in UN peacekeeping missions. Out of the eighteen current UN peacekeeping missions, only one is headed by a Nigerian and his tenure ends in three months. However, the Military Adviser for PKO is a Nigerian.

Nigeria is the fourth largest contributor of troops for peacekeeping operations and is seeking recognition (and UN assistance) from this commitment. This demand comes as Nigeria is seeking to play a greater role in African political and security affairs. Nigeria sees itself as a regional power and, as the most populous African country- a leader on the continent.

Nigeria has taken a leadership role in resisting the presence of AFRICOM in Africa. It has made clear that ECOWAS members should not accept a US military base in the region. In December 2007, President Yar’Adua made a statement about partnering with AFRICOM that was seen as a change in the Nigerian position. Due to the outrage expressed by the Nigerian people, he retracted his statement and reiterated Africa’s plan to establish joint military commands in each sub-region. However, the Nigerian government left itself open to training, funding and logistics from the American military.

Nigeria has participated in AFRICOM sponsored security training. Most recently, Nigeria hosted the 009 ECOWAS Strategic Level Seminar on Security Sector Reform in West Africa. It was hosted by the Nigerian National Defence College, ECOWAS as well as the US Africa Center for Strategic Studies so a significant support role was played by AFRICOM. Nigeria’s interest in playing a more active role in regional security issues should be used by AFRICOM in demonstrating its mission to provide security training and support in Africa. However, Nigeria’s position on the location of AFRICOM headquarters is unlikely to change.