Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Nigeria has reaffirmed its strong commitment to a comprehensive nuclear test ban, emphasising the nation’s focus on peaceful nuclear energy and civilian applications, rather than the pursuit of weapons capabilities.
Vice President Kashim Shettima stated this during a high-level courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa yesterday, where he received the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation, CTBTO, Dr. Robert Floyd.
Shettima reiterated Nigeria’s alignment with international efforts to prevent nuclear testing and promote peaceful nuclear development through cooperation with the CTBTO.
He said, “The outcome of any nuclear conflict is never a win-win situation; it is always the opposite. We are fighting poverty; we are fighting a war against the relationship between the economy and ecology in sub-Saharan Africa. We have no business dabbling in anything that has to do with nuclear weapons.
“I want to assure and reiterate our commitment to a comprehensive nuclear test ban. I appreciate your organisation for the extra vigilance you have taken, having 337 monitoring stations spread across the world. All seven tests conducted by DPR Korea were detected.”
From an energy security perspective, the Vice President also acknowledged the dual-use benefits of CTBTO’s technologies, particularly in disaster management and environmental monitoring.
“The beauty of CTBTO’s function is that its monitors also serve civilian purposes, especially in assisting us to detect tsunamis, volcanic and seismic activities. Your functions are contributing to the global stability of our ecology,” he said.
In his remarks, CTBTO Executive Secretary Dr. Robert Floyd applauded Nigeria’s leadership under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting the country’s consistent technical contributions to the global nuclear test ban framework.
“The relationship between CTBTO and Nigeria is a natural partnership. Nigeria, through its focal institutions, the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission, NAEC and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, NNRA, has shown commendable technical commitment to the goals of the Treaty.”
Dr. Floyd highlighted the life-saving potential of data generated by Nigeria’s seismic and radionuclide monitoring stations, stressing their role in natural disaster early-warning systems.
Speaking at the meeting, Acting Chairman of the NAEC, Engr. Anthony Ekedegwa, described Nigeria’s collaboration with CTBTO as instrumental in human capital development and capacity-building in nuclear science and technology.
Similarly, the Director General of the NNRA, Dr. Yau Idris, emphasised ongoing cooperation to ensure Nigeria’s strict adherence to global standards on nuclear safety and non-proliferation.
“We are strengthening Nigeria’s regulatory frameworks to align with international protocols, and our collaboration with CTBTO ensures we meet those expectations,” Idris noted.
Present at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Dunoma Ahmed; CTBTO Senior External Relations Officer, Mr. Charles Oko; and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NAEC, and NNRA.
