Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar says Nigeria would soon apply to join BRICS economic union in order to accelerate nation-building and open a window of investment opportunities for Nigerians.
The minister said this in an interview with Russia’s news agency, RIA Novosti during his visit to Moscow where met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima attended the last BRICS Summit which took place in South Africa in August 2023 during which Nigeria showed interest in joining the bloc which would greatly benefit Nigeria.
“We intend to do it, like I said Nigeria runs a deliberative and democratic system. So, there tends to be a lot of engagements with different interest groups and different internal bodies before such an action is taken. But what is clear and what is visible is Vice President Kashim Shettima was present in South Africa for the last BRICS Summit. We are very keen on it, and we look forward to it,” Tuggar told the news agency.
Tuggar also emphasized that Nigeria is guided by national interests, and the country is working harder to deepen its diplomatic and economic ties with Russia in the areas of industry and energy and military-technical cooperation with Moscow in order to help address various security challenges in the country.
Daily Review reported that he Minister highlighted the longstanding military and defense cooperation between Russia and Nigeria and appreciated the Russian Government’s support and assistance in intelligence sharing, which has aided the fight against terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria. He disclosed that military relations between Russia and Nigeria date back to the Soviet era while appreciating the support received during the Nigerian Civil War between 1967 and 1970. Amb. Tuggar sought Russia’s cooperation in education and acknowledged Russia’s support through scholarships to Nigerian students over the years, which he said had greatly benefitted not only Nigeria but humanity.