President Bola Tinubu has received the proposed 2027 United Nations budget from Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, in what has been described as a historic milestone for the country’s participation in the organization’s budgetary process.

Ibrahim presented the seven-volume budget document to Tinubu at the State House in Abuja, following its submission by the UN Secretary-General to the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Matters, which Ibrahim chairs.

Speaking after the presentation, the ambassador said the occasion marked the first time in 66 years that a Nigerian president had received the proposed UN budget through the process.

He explained that Nigeria’s role in the committee made it appropriate for the document to be presented to the President, given the country’s membership of the international organization.

According to Ibrahim, the proposed budget covers the UN’s regular operations and peacekeeping activities, with approximately $3.4 billion allocated to the regular budget and $8.5 billion earmarked for peacekeeping operations.

He put the overall proposed budget at about $14 billion, although the two figures he cited for the components amount to $11.9 billion.

The ambassador stressed that the budget was still at the proposal stage and would undergo further discussions, adjustments, and approval by member states before implementation.

He said the process would allow countries to examine the proposed allocations before the final budget is adopted and spending begins.

Ibrahim declined to disclose what specific benefits Nigeria might receive from the process, explaining that discussions with other members of the committee were still ongoing.

However, he highlighted the scale of the UN’s investment in member countries, citing the construction of a conference center in Kenya valued at approximately $267 million.

The presentation underscores Nigeria’s involvement in the UN’s administrative and financial decision-making processes through its chairmanship of the Fifth Committee.

The proposed 2027 budget will be subjected to further scrutiny and negotiations among member states before final approval.