Nigeria is actively planning to secure membership in the BRICS economic bloc within the next two years and is eyeing a place among the G20 nations, as reported by Bloomberg.
This move is part of Nigeria’s broader foreign policy agenda to strengthen its presence in influential global political and economic forums.
Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasized Nigeria’s readiness to independently decide its alignments with various multilateral organizations.
He stated, “Nigeria has come of age to decide for itself who her partners should be and where they should be; being multiple aligned is in our best interest.”
Tuggar highlighted Nigeria’s qualifications for joining prestigious groups like BRICS and G20, citing the nation’s substantial economy and large population as favorable criteria.
He commented, “We need to belong to groups like BRICS, like the G-20 and all these other ones because if there’s a certain criterion, say the largest countries in terms of population and economy should belong, then why isn’t Nigeria part of it?”
Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima, attended the recent BRICS summit in South Africa in August; however, the nation did not pursue membership at that time when the bloc welcomed new members, including Ethiopia and Egypt from Africa.
Also, President Bola Tinubu, in September, received an invitation to the G20 summit and expressed his intent to advocate for Nigeria’s permanent membership.
The BRICS economic bloc consists of influential emerging market nations, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Recently, these member countries extended invitations to six additional nations, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Argentina, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates, to join their ranks and enhance the bloc’s global influence.
