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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu received the United Nations’ proposed budget for 2027 on Monday from Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim.
Ibrahim, who chairs the UN General Assembly’s Fifth Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Matters, presented the seven-volume document to the President after the UN Secretary-General submitted it to the committee.
He described the presentation as historic, saying it was the first time in 66 years that Nigeria would chair the committee responsible for the UN’s budget and administration.
“This is the first time in 66 years that Nigeria will chair the Budget and Administrative Committee. It is the first time, and we do not know when it will happen again in history,” Ibrahim said.
“So President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is making history by being able to receive this budget. He is the first Nigerian president in 66 years to receive the UN budget from the United Nations.”
According to the envoy, the proposed regular budget stands at about $3.4 billion, while the peacekeeping budget is about $8.5 billion. He put the combined figure at about $14 billion, approximately ₦36 trillion to ₦40 trillion.
“It is not a small matter for a country to receive the entire UN budget,” he said. “So I am happy that the President has received the seven volumes of the proposed budget.”
Ibrahim said the document remained a proposal and would still undergo detailed negotiations and approval by member states before implementation.
“This is a proposed budget. It is the proposal submitted to member countries. Thereafter, the budget is discussed in detail, the figures are adjusted, and the final budget is approved before spending commences,” he explained.
He declined to state Nigeria’s expected benefits from the budget, saying negotiations with his colleagues were still ongoing.
“As for Nigeria, I do not want to discuss what Nigeria will get from the budget. That would be going too far, because my colleagues and I are still discussing it,” he said.
Ibrahim, however, pointed to the scale of UN spending, noting that the organisation was currently building a $260 million conference centre in Kenya.
“A lot is happening. As of today, the United Nations is building a $260 million conference centre in Kenya. You can see what that means,” he said.
