No Going Back On Nuclear Test Ban In Nigeria, Says Shettima

Kashim Shettima, the Vice President, said that Nigeria is still committed to the prohibition on nuclear weapons testing.

He said this while meeting with a group from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) in the Presidential Villa. The group was led by Dr. Robert Floyd, the organization’s executive secretary.

Shettima said that Nigeria, like many other African countries, is dealing with a lot of social and economic problems, including as poverty and climate change.

He says that Africa’s top goal right now should be to deal with the problems of poverty and climate change that threaten its existence, not to have nuclear weapons.

“Any nuclear war will never end in a win-win situation; it will always end in a loss.” We are battling poverty, and we are also fighting the link between the economy and the environment in sub-Saharan Africa. We shouldn’t get involved in anything that has to do with nuclear weapons.

“I want to reassure you and repeat our commitment to a complete nuclear test ban. I also want to thank your organisation for being extra careful, with 337 stations around the world.” He claimed, “All seven tests done by DPR Korea were found.”

Shettima praised the CTBTO for also helping civilians by finding tsunamis and volcanic seismic activity and making the global environment more stable.

Dr. Floyd, the Executive Secretary of CTBTO, praised Nigeria’s leadership under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for helping to bring the world average down in nuclear testing and setting strong standards against it. He said that the relationship between the organisation and the country was a natural partnership.

Dr. Floyd praised Nigeria’s contributions to the CTBTO through its main agencies, the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA). He also praised the country’s technical expertise and dedication to achieving the CTBTO’s goals.