Vice-President Kashim Shettima received the Executive Secretary of CTBTO, Dr. Robert Floyd, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to a comprehensive nuclear test ban through collaboration with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO).
Vice-President Kashim Shettima made this known when he received the Executive Secretary of CTBTO, Dr. Robert Floyd, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Shettima emphasized that Africa’s priority is to address existential challenges of poverty and climate change, not the pursuit of nuclear weapons capability.
“We have no business dabbling in anything that has to do with nuclear weapons. I want to assure and reiterate our commitment to a comprehensive nuclear test ban,” he said.
The Vice-President commended the CTBTO for its role in detecting nuclear tests and natural disasters.
“The beauty of CTBTO’s function is that its monitors also serve civilian purposes, especially in assisting us to detect tsunamis, volcanic seismic activities.
“Your functions are contributing to the global stability of our ecology,” he noted.
Shettima appreciated the CTBTO’s extra vigilance, having 337 stations spread across the world. “All seven tests conducted by DPR Korea were detected,” he added.
Floyd described the relationship between the CTBTO and Nigeria as a natural partnership.
He highlighted the contributions of Nigeria through focal agencies – the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA).
The Acting Chairman of NAEC, Anthony Ekedegwa, said Nigeria’s partnership with the CTBTO has been instrumental in building capacity and equipping the centre for the development of the sector.
