Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, has been elected chairman of the Budget and Administration Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), also known as the Fifth Committee.
Gatekeepers News reports thet the appointment places a Nigerian diplomat at the helm of one of the UN’s most important committees, which oversees budgetary and administrative matters.
Ibrahim’s election comes as the United Nations grapples with a budget deficit exceeding $1.8 billion, largely linked to reductions in foreign aid and growing financial pressures on the organisation.
Speaking after his election on Tuesday, Ibrahim said the UN must adopt innovative and practical measures to address its financial challenges. He noted that the organisation faces complex global realities that require urgent and strategic responses.
The former senator said he would draw on his experience as a member of the Nigerian Senate Committee on Budget and Appropriation and his previous role in inter-parliamentary relations to build consensus among member states.
Ibrahim also referenced the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu, saying lessons from those reforms would help shape his approach to budget, appropriation and human resource management within the UN system. He pledged to provide strategic leadership and strengthen corporate governance during his tenure.
The Fifth Committee is responsible for the administrative and budgetary affairs of the UN, making Ibrahim’s election a significant development for Nigeria’s diplomatic presence at the global body.
