Professor lbrahim Gambari was the Special Assistant to the United Nations Secretary General on____________

Analyze the question: The question asks about the UN post held by Professor Ibrahim Gambari, a Nigerian diplomat and former Minister of External Affairs (1984-85) and Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the UN.

Explain the concept: Gambari had a long career at the United Nations. Key roles include:

• Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa (from 1999). He was also Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs (2005-2007).
• Joint African Union-UN Special Representative for Darfur (2010-2012).
• UN Special Adviser on Myanmar (2007-2010).

Under Kofi Annan, he served as Special Adviser on African Affairs, a role in which he addressed conflicts and development issues across the continent.

Step-by-step elimination:

• A. Security matters: He was never designated for this as his main title.
• B. African affairs: Matches his role as Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Africa.
• C. Political and social matters: Not the title of his post. He did head Political Affairs, but that is a different description.
• D. The Economic Commission of Africa: This is a separate UN regional body (UNECA), not a role he held as an adviser.

Answer: The correct option is B. African affairs.

Tip: For Government questions on Nigerians in international organisations, link the person to the main title. Gambari = "Africa" adviser at the UN. Remember also that he served as Nigeria's Foreign Minister before his UN career.