By Katsina Times Historian Desk
Three years ago, on 24 September 2021, Nigeria’s late former president, General Muhammadu Buhari, addressed world leaders at the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, delivering a message that still reverberates in global debates on justice and humanitarian aid.
In his speech, Buhari urged the international community to treat the plight of Palestinians and the persecuted Rohingya minority in Myanmar with the same urgency and compassion shown towards Ukraine and other conflicts.
“The international community must show equal concern for the Palestinians and the Rohingya people, just as it has done for Ukraine,” Buhari told the Assembly.
At the time, his remarks drew attention to what analysts described as a double standard in global responses, highlighting how crises in the Middle East and Asia often received less visibility and aid than those in Europe.
Since then, both the Palestinian and Rohingya struggles have worsened, while the war in Ukraine has continued to dominate global headlines and aid flows. Buhari’s words, therefore, are now recalled as a plea for balance and fairness in international politics.
The reflection comes at a poignant moment in Nigeria’s history. Buhari, who governed the country from 2015 to 2023, passed away on 13 July 2025 in London at the age of 82. He was laid to rest in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State, on 15 July 2025, with full state honours.
His UN speech of 2021 now stands as one of his most remembered international interventions, underscoring his call for a more equitable world order.
