Daily Independent (Lagos)
Adetutu Folasade-Koyi
24 June 2009
opinion
Abuja — Nigeria's quest for a permanent seat at the United Nations (UN) Security Council is a legitimate demand that deserves international support, President of the Senate, David Mark, noted on Tuesday.
Renewing Nigeria's campaign for a permanent seat on the council before the President of Spain, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, in Abuja, Mark reiterated that Nigeria occupies a pivotal position in Africa and desires to be accorded as such.
Zapatero is on a visit to Nigeria
"Nigeria occupies a pivotal position in Africa and our desire for a permanent seat in the Security Council is a legitimate demand that we rightly deserve," Mark said.
Specifically, Mark appealed to the Spanish President to help take Nigeria's campaign for a permanent seat at the UN to other European countries.
"Beside the human and material resources that abound in Nigeria, our fore-front position in peace-keeping in Africa and beyond ultimately earn us the position," he said.
He called for cooperation between the Spanish and Nigerian parliaments in the exchange of the ideas and knowledge, pointing out that as a younger democracy to Spain, Nigeria is willing to learn from their experience as an older democracy.
Earlier, Zapatero said his visit to Nigeria has twin advantages of exchange of bi-lateral relationship as well as desire to improve infrastructure in energy, security and economy.
He harped on the significance of the legislature in a democracy and called for cooperation between the executive and the legislature to enhance service delivery to the people.
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