“At this time, we have not submitted an application to join BRICS. And it is significantly influenced by the fact that my principal, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a true democrat who supports reaching agreements through dialogue.
Nigeria, according to vice president Kashim Shettima, did not submit an application to join the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) group.
Shettima spoke a few hours after the six new members of the economic bloc — Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — were announced.
Although many people questioned why Nigeria did not join the organisation, Shettima claimed on Friday that the nation never applied to become a member of ERICS.
“At this time, we have not submitted an application to join BRICS. And it’s largely influenced by the fact that my principal President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a true democrat who values reaching consensus, he told Channels Television on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, which took place in South Africa.
“There are a lot of variables that need to be considered. Before making an informed decision to join the BRICS, we need to assess a lot of trends and issues that call for consultation with the Federal Executive Council, the National Assembly, and even the Economic Advisory Council.
Shettima, who has been the Nigerian representative at the meeting, has a message for Nigerians living in South Africa as well.
He is urging them to follow the law and show courtesy to local residents no matter where they reside.
Full membership for the newly accepted nations would begin in January.
The most powerful nation among the numerous and populous non-Western economies, China’s President Xi Jinping called the membership extension “historic.”
“The expansion also marks a fresh beginning for BRICS collaboration. The BRICS cooperation mechanism will gain fresh life, and the force for global peace and development will be strengthened even more.
Abiy Ahmed, the prime minister of Ethiopia, praised what he called “a great moment” for the continent’s second-most populated nation.
The action was hailed as a “historic development and a strategic success” for Tehran’s foreign policy by top presidential advisor Mohammad Jamshidi in Iran.
Additionally expressing their willingness to cooperate with the ill-defined group that encompasses billions of people across four continents and a quarter of global wealth, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates did the same.
