Tijani Muhammad-Bande, the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, formally declared his intention to compete for the presidency of the 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Mr Muhammad-Bande made the statement on Friday evening in New York at a cocktail party attended by world diplomats and delegates.
This came just eight days after he was announced as the first candidate for the position by the current UNGA president, Maria Espinosa.
The 74th UNGA president’s election will take place at the UN headquarters on 4 June.
UNGA stated in a statement on its website that, among other reasons, the presidency of the 74th session was zoned to Africa in “full respect for the established principle of geographical rotation.”
On June 5, the current president, who is Ecuador’s foreign minister, was elected and assumed duty on September 18, 2018.
Thus, on September 17, she will step aside as the UNGA presidency has a one-year term
According to the statement, an informal interactive dialog with Mr Muhammad-Bande is scheduled for May 13, pursuant to UNGA Resolution 71/323 entitled ‘ Revitalization of General Assembly Work. ‘
The permanent representative from Nigeria will have the opportunity to answer questions from other stakeholders at the session.
The candidate, addressing guests at the event on Friday, promised to strengthen the organization and work better for its member states and their citizens.
As chairman of the 74th Session, he said he would focus on effectively implementing existing mandates and contribute to all defined areas of follow-up.
The candidate pledged to promote international peace and security, conflict prevention, strengthen global action to address climate change, ensure inclusion, human rights, and empower youth and women.
He also promised that the decisions reached and the resolutions passed at the general assembly would be implemented for the benefit of the citizens.
Mr Muhammad-Bande has a fine career as a scholar and diplomat, a native of Zagga in the Kebbi-state of today.
He received his doctorate in Political Science, Boston University, USA, in 1981 and his doctorate in Political Science, Toronto University, Canada, in 1987.
He was the Director General of the Center African de Formation et de Recherche Administrative pour le Development (CAFRAD) in Tangier, Morocco, between January 2000 and February 2004.
CAFRAD is Africa’s leading institution responsible for public administration and management training and research.
He was the Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) between 2010 and 2016, in addition to other positions both locally and internationally.
During the 71st session, he served as Vice-President of the General Assembly and remains active in several forums, including as Chair of the United Nations Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C34), Member of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center Advisory Board and Chair of the ECOWAS Group (2018-2019).
Mr Muhammad-Bande was also a National Merit Award (Nigeria) assessor and a university professor.
He has won awards and honors from institutions and governments, including the U.S. and China.
In particular, he is a recipient of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Officer, one of the highest national awards in the country.
