Nigeria hopes to become a member of the BRICS group of nations within the next two years, a report by Bloomberg has disclosed.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, announced that the country would join any group with good intentions, well-meaning goals, and clearly defined objectives.
He said, “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.
“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?”
BRICS is a group of emerging market powers including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
In August they invited six other nations, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Argentina, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates to join their ranks in a bid to expand the bloc’s influence.
Much has been made of Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, absence from BRICS, with analysts believing the bloc could provide economic and political leverage for the country.
In August, Vice President Kashim Shettima noted that Nigeria did not apply for membership in BRICS after the bloc announced new members.
He said, “So far, we have not applied for the membership of BRICS. And it is majorly informed by the fact that my principal, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a true democrat who believes in consensus building.
