On the margins of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA), the federal government, has signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons...
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, signed on
behalf of the federal government, with additional signatories from 55 other
countries.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, otherwise
known as the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, is the first legally-binding
international agreement that would comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons,
with the utmost aim of leading towards the whole elimination of nuclear
weapons.
It was passed by the United Nations on July 7, 2017 and for
the treaty to come into effect, signature and ratification by a minimum of 50
countries is required.
Also, regarding countries that are party to the treaty, the
treaty prohibits the development, testing, production, stockpiling, stationing,
transfer, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons, as well as assistance and
encouragement to the prohibited activities.
Similarly, for nuclear armed states joining the treaty, it
provides for a time-bound framework for negotiations leading to the verified
and irreversible elimination of its nuclear weapons programme.
Speaking after the ceremony, Onyeama said Nigeria signed the
treaty because right from the early 60s, Nigeria has been a strong advocate for
nuclear weapons’ prohibition and also, non proliferation of nuclear weapons.
“You may recall that in the early 60s, France tested an atom
bomb, a nuclear device in the Sahara and Nigeria broke up diplomatic relations
with France.
“So, ever since that period, we’ve always been very much a
strong advocate for de-nuclearization of the world,” Onyeama said.
Onyeama added that Nigeria was one of the main movers of the
treaty, even as he said it was just unfortunate that countries who have nuclear
weapons view them as deterance and believe they safeguard their security.
“We hope that at least, the treaty is there, it exists and
it will now be really a great effort by those countries that have signed and
also, as they were mentioning today, by the civil society and other
inter-governmental organisations to really push and get a larger number of
countries to accede to the treaty, and especially, those nuclear weapons’
state,” Onyeama stated.
Speaking on how to get the almost 60 countries who boycotted
the adoption of the treaty convinced to join the treaty, including the problems
associated with the enforcement, Onyeama said it was a question of exposed
strategy and trust.
He added that countries needed to trust each other when they
say that they have destroyed all their nuclear weapons.
“No country wants to be the first to give up. So, what has
obtained since the Second World War, is a philosophy of mutually-assured
destruction, letting the other side know that if they attack you with nuclear
weapons, that the result will be ‘everybody will go.’
“And that is what has sort of maintained that balance up
till now. But we are saying that no, we have international organizations, the
International Atomic Agency for instance, who should be trusted with the task
of verification that no country possesses those weapons.
“So, it means that those countries that do, have to be
willing to open themselves up to complete verification by international body.
But we haven’t got there yet,” Onyeama noted.
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