My plans after UN job – Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary general

The Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, has revealed her plan to return to Africa, specifically Nigeria, at the expiration of her tenure.

Mrs. Mohammed disclosed this during an interview with Arise TV in New York, United States, on Monday.

Her 10-year tenure and that of the Secretary General,Antonio Guterres, will end on 31 December.

Asked by the Arise international Correspondent, Adefemi Akinsanya, if she would consider holding any public office in Nigeria after leaving the UN, she said, “No.”

She added that her time at the UN gave her networks and visibility which she hopes to use to contribute to the development of Nigeria and Africa.

“I’m coming home, and I’m very happy to do that. Ten years here, I think, has been a privilege. It has created networks. It has created visibility for women, and for my country and for the continent. I want to use that to go back home,” she stated in the interview monitored by PREMIUM TIMES, adding, “Nigeria is where I sit, but Africa is my oyster.”

Mrs. Mohammed, who served as Nigeria’s minister of environment, also addressed the challenge of balancing career and family life for women. She said women are often forced to make difficult choices, and encouraged them to lean on their support systems.

“I think my advice to women is to use your support systems. Never try to do this alone. It is never about just you,” she said.

“We have won the battle but not the war. We are still fighting for a space; we are still way off track with the targets that we have set for women’s rights and leadership in the workplace, at home, and gender-based violence. All these are still a struggle for us.”

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From being born in England but nurtured in Nigeria to being at the heart of the United Nations, Mrs Mohammed began her career working on the design of schools and hospitals in Nigeria.

Before her UN appointment in February 2017, she served as Nigeria’s minister of environment in the Muhammadu Buhari administration from November 2015 to early 2017.

As minister, Mrs Mohammed steered the country’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment.

She also led the development of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).