Nigeria, home to Africa’s largest economy, is eager to join BRICS, the international alliance made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The five-nation group is on an expansion drive, seeking to counter the existing global order. At its 15th summit in August, BRICS announced that Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would join its ranks in 2024.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said his country had its sights set on adding its name to the BRICS club within two years, according to reports.
“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 was quoted as saying.
“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?”
