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President Bola Tinubu has accepted the UN’s proposed 2027 budget, which Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the global body, Jimoh Ibrahim, described as an unprecedented development in the country’s 66 years of involvement in the global body.
Ibrahim, who chairs the Fifth Committee of the UN General Assembly responsible for administrative and budgetary affairs, handed over the seven-volume document to Tinubu at State House in Abuja.
Speaking to journalists after the presentation, Ibrahim said the exercise marked the first time in 66 years that a Nigerian president had received an organization’s proposed budget through such a process.
He said, “This is a presentation of the proposed UN budget for 2027 which was presented to me by the General Assembly, by the UN Secretary General to the Fifth Committee, and the budget consists of seven volumes.
“So it must be submitted to my country, because my country is a member of the UN. I shared the budget with the committee, so the right thing is to take the budget home and present it to the President.
“This is the first time in 66 years that Nigeria has shared a budget in committee. First time. So I don’t know when we will do something similar again in history.”
The diplomat further described the presentation as a watershed moment for Nigeria, highlighting the country’s involvement in the UN’s financial and administrative decision-making processes.
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Ibrahim added, “President Bola Tinubu made history by being able to accept that budget, being the first President in 66 years to receive that budget from the UN, and it is not an easy thing for a country to receive the entire UN budget.”
The proposed budget covers routine UN operations and peacekeeping activities. Ibrahim cited about $3.4 billion for the organization’s regular budget and $8.5 billion for peacekeeping operations, while the proposed overall budget is about $14 billion.
However, the two figures he provided for separate components totaled $11.9 billion, leaving a $2.1 billion gap between the stated allocation and the overall estimate. Further clarification is needed to determine the cause of these differences.
Beyond the symbolic significance of the presentation, the document remains subject to the approval process established by the UN. Submission of the proposal to the Nigerian president does not constitute final approval of the proposed expenditure or provide any special financial benefit to Nigeria.
Ibrahim stressed that member states would still examine estimates, negotiate adjustments and agree on a final budget before spending could begin.
“The budget still has to be approved. This is a proposed budget. It’s still at the proposed stage. You submit it to your state, and after that the budget is finally discussed. The numbers are adjusted, and finally the final budget is approved and spending begins,” he said.
On whether Nigeria would gain specific benefits from the proposed spending, Ibrahim said discussions were still ongoing and declined to identify specific allocations or benefits the country might receive.
But he pointed to the construction of a $267 million UN conference center in Kenya as an illustration of the organization’s investment in infrastructure in member countries.
The presentation put Nigeria’s participation in the UN budget process in the spotlight, although its practical implications will depend on subsequent deliberations and member states’ final decisions.
The proposed 2027 budget must undergo further scrutiny, negotiation and approval before the UN can begin spending based on final estimates. Therefore, the presentation itself is a procedural milestone, while the broader question of what impact it will have for Nigeria remains open.
