Nigeria will apply to BRICS – FM

Nigeria plans to apply for membership in the BRICS group of emerging countries after the necessary domestic arrangements are complete, Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar has said.

The diplomat is in Moscow this week on a three-day working visit from March 5-7. On Wednesday, Tuggar met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to discuss bilateral relations, as well as the countries’ regional and global agenda.

Talking to the news agency Sputnik on a range of issues, including potential BRICS membership, he stated, “We intend to do it. Like I said before, Nigeria runs a deliberative democratic system. So there tends to be a lot of engagement with different interest groups, different internal bodies before such an action is taken.”

Tuggar also emphasized the importance of Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima’s participation in the 2023 BRICS Summit in South Africa, noting “So we’re very keen on it. We look forward to it.”

In November 2023, Tuggar disclosed that Nigeria will seek to join BRICS within the next two years to ensure the nation’s representation and influence on the global stage. He also said that the West African nation is open to joining any alliance that has constructive, well-defined goals.

The BRICS group of emerging economies, which was until recently comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, underwent a major expansion in January of this year when Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates joined. Saudi Arabia has also been invited and is set to become a member. Numerous other states have expressed an interest in joining; some have already formally submitted applications.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), BRICS currently accounts for as much as 36% of global GDP in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), compared to just over 30% for the G7 group of developed economies.

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