Abuja, July 7, 2025 — During a courtesy visit by CTBTO Executive Secretary Dr. Robert Floyd to the Presidential Villa, Vice President Kashim Shettima strongly reaffirmed Nigeria’s dedication to a complete global ban on nuclear testing. He emphasized that Africa is determined not to be exploited as a testing site for nuclear weapons.
Highlighting the continent’s pressing priorities, Shettima stressed that Africa currently faces existential battles—chiefly poverty and climate change—not the armament of nuclear arsenals. “The outcome of any nuclear conflict is never a win‑win situation; it is always the opposite,” he warned. “We have no business dabbling in anything that has to do with nuclear weapons.”
Shettima also commended the CTBTO for its vigilance, pointing to its worldwide network of 337 monitoring stations that successfully detected all seven nuclear tests conducted by North Korea. He praised the organisation’s broader civil-mission contributions, such as the early detection of tsunamis and volcanic activity—an essential component of global ecological security.
Dr. Floyd, in response, lauded Nigeria’s proactive role under President Tinubu’s leadership. He noted the country’s strong technical support through agencies like the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), whose monitoring data also bolster disaster early-warning systems.
Representatives from several agencies—including NAEC Acting Chairman Anthony Ekedegwa and NNRA Director-General Yau Idris—as well as officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were present to support the collaboration.
