The Federal Government has insisted that Nigeria’s commitment to a comprehensive nuclear test ban through collaboration with the Comprehensive NuclearTest-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO).

This was disclosed by the Vice President, Kashin Shettima, yesterday when he received, on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), Dr Robert Floyd.

According to him, Africa’s priority, at the moment, was to address its existential challenges of poverty and the effects of climate change, not the pursuit of nuclear weapons capability.

According to a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said: “The outcome of any nuclear conflict is never a win-win situation; it is always the opposite.

“We are fighting poverty; we are fighting a war against the relationship between the economy and ecology in sub-Saharan Africa. “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, and I want to appreciate your organisation for the extra vigilance you have taken, having 337 stations spread across the world.

All seven tests conducted by DPR Korea were detected.” While commending the CTBTO for its role, Shettima said: “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.”