Nigeria’s UNGA Stand Regrettable Over Palestine, Netanyahu Speech – MURIC
The Muslim Rights Concern faults Nigeria for excluding the Palestinian question from its UNGA position paper and, according to the group, declining to join other countries in walking out during Israel’s prime minister’s address.
By Abdullahi Yusuf
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has described Nigeria’s performance at the 81st United Nations General Assembly as “regrettable”, accusing the Federal Government of failing to include the Palestinian question in its position paper and refusing to join other countries in a walkout during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address.
In a statement issued on Saturday, September 26, 2026, MURIC Executive Director Professor Ishaq Akintola described Nigeria’s position as “shocking, woeful, deplorable and despicable”, citing what he said was the country’s failure to give the Palestinian question a place in its UNGA position paper.
MURIC said Nigeria’s delegates also failed to join 77 other countries that, according to the group, walked out during Netanyahu’s speech on Thursday, September 24.
Dozens of delegations left the General Assembly hall as Netanyahu began his address, in protest against Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza. The walkout was widely reported during the Israeli prime minister’s appearance at the UN General Assembly.
The group said Nigeria’s position was particularly concerning given the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, citing figures of more than 73,922 Palestinians killed and about 174,995 wounded.
It said Gaza’s medical facilities had been stretched to their limits and that large parts of the territory had been destroyed, while women and children accounted for a large proportion of those killed and wounded.
MURIC also cited shortages of food, water, fuel and electricity in Gaza, as well as the destruction of homes and disruption of education, saying children and pregnant women had been among those affected by the conflict.
The organisation further referred to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu, issued in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with the Gaza conflict.
MURIC urged Nigerians who believe in justice and fairness to hold the Federal Government accountable over what it described as Nigeria’s handling of the Palestinian question at the UN.
It also called on the Nigerian human rights community to speak out against what it described as the country’s “regrettable stance” on Palestine.
The 81st UN General Assembly opened in New York on September 9, with the high-level general debate taking place from September 23 to 29.
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