Lagos, Nigeria - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon may have secured the backing of African countries for his second, five-year term, when his current tenure expires 31 December 2011. According to the official News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, there was no dissenting voice when Ban met with African Ambassadors during a meeting at the UN headquarters in New York this week. NAN reported that Ban met the African representatives soon after announcing Monday that he would seek a second term in office.

Nigeria's Deputy Permanent Representatives to the UN, Mr. Bukun-Olu Onemola, was quoted as saying all the 28 African Ambassadors at the meeting expressed the view that Ban had placed African issues such as democracy, preventive diplomacy, counter-terrorism, health, MDGs, in the front burner during his first term.

Pana 09/06/2011