Nigeria did not seek to join BRICS, which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, according to vice president Kashim Shettima.
Shettima spoke as the economic group announced it would accept Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates as new members.
While many questioned why Nigeria did not sign up for the organization, Shettima claimed on Friday that the nation never submitted an application.
“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 that believes in consensus building,” he told journalists on the sideline of the BRICS Summit which was held in South Africa
“There are so many variables that need to be taken into cognizance. We have to evaluate so many tendencies and issues that require engagements with the economic advisory council, the Federal Executive Council, and even the National Assembly before an informed decision towards joining the BRICS would be taken.”
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.
From January 1, the newly accepted nations would join the UN as full members.
“This membership expansion is historic,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose nation is the most powerful in the group of large and populous non-Western economies.
“The expansion is also a new starting point for BRICS cooperation. It will bring new vigour to the BRICS cooperation mechanism and further strengthen the force for world peace and development”.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hailed what he called “a great moment” for his country, the second-most populous in Africa.
In Iran, senior presidential advisor Mohammad Jamshidi described the move as a “historic development and a strategic success” for Tehran’s foreign policy.
Egypt and the UAE also broadcast their readiness to work with the loosely defined group that represents billions of people on four continents and a quarter of the world’s wealth.
