Why Nigeria Shouldn’t Have Accepted To Be BRICS Partner – Akinyemi

Former Nigerian Minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has stated that Nigeria should not have accepted the offer to become a BRICS partner country.

The political science professor argued that Nigeria should have either been an original member of the group or granted full membership during its expansion, rather than being designated as a partner country.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Akinyemi described BRICS offering Nigeria partner status instead of full membership as a “slap in the face” to Nigerians.

Read Also: What Tinubu Should Avoid Doing With Trump – Akinyemi

He said, “I am not happy. Can you tell me the difference between a partner country and a member given our GDP in Africa compared to Ethiopia or even South Africa? Is it a partner country that befits us? No.

“We should have been part of the original members of BRICS. I have said this on several platforms. I don’t know why we were never an original member; I don’t know why we were not invited to join as a full member as they were expanding it.

“I think it is a slap in our face, and we should never have accepted this partner member if that is what they call it.”

BRICS is an intergovernmental organization made up of ten countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

On Friday, Brazil officially announced the inclusion of Nigeria as a partner country of BRICS.

A statement from Brazil’s Foreign Ministry highlighted that BRICS and Nigeria share common interests, particularly in their efforts to strengthen cooperation among Global South countries and push for reforms in international organizations.

“With the world’s sixth-largest population—and Africa’s largest—as well as being one of the continent’s major economies, Nigeria shares convergent interests with other members of BRICS. It plays an active role in strengthening South-South cooperation and in reforming global governance—issues that are top priorities during Brazil’s current presidency,” the statement said.

Brazil currently holds the BRICS presidency for 2025, having succeeded Russia on January 1.

Nigeria has joined Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan as the ninth partner country of BRICS, a status introduced at the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan in October 2024.

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